In my very early twenties, a thought crossed my mind: “What I’m doing with my life?”. I felt stuck in a moment of life where I was supposed to discover myself. But you know, in your twenties, collagen is strong, energy feels endless, and your whole life can still fit in a carry-on. So why not cross borders and throw yourself into a new way of living — and of discovering yourself — in a setting completely different from what you’re used to?
Yes, to live abroad can sound intimidating. It means leaving behind family, friends, and the routine that has always been your safe harbor. But this rupture, when looked at closely, reveals one of adulthood’s greatest gifts: the chance to learn, grow, and build stories that could hardly arise within your comfort zone.
More than just learning a new language, living in another country means opening your mind to different cultures, unexpected ways of life, and perspectives that completely change how you see the world — and yourself.
Independence in practice
In your twenties, living abroad is almost a reality check. Suddenly, I was dealing with bureaucracies I never thought I’d face — opening a bank account, paying rent, cooking for yourself. It may sound trivial, but it’s exactly these small details that create a true sense of independence.
It’s a lesson you carry forever: knowing how to manage on your own in another language, understanding how to connect with new people, and realizing that life doesn’t have to be lived in just one way.
Expanding
The food, the music, the customs, the bar conversations. Everything is different. And, at the same time, fascinating. Living abroad put me in touch with realities that never would have crossed my path if I’d stayed in the same place.
In your twenties, this exposure can be transformative. It’s when you begin to understand that there’s no universal “right” or “wrong” — there are different ways of organizing life, of relating, of loving, and of working. This cultural clash is often uncomfortable, but it’s precisely what makes it so rich.
Flexibility is the key
Not everything is easy — and that’s exactly where the value of the experience lies. The difficulties, from homesickness to bureaucratic hurdles, taught me resilience. You discover you can adapt more than you ever imagined, and flexibility becomes almost a second skin when living in another country.
These skills aren’t limited to my time abroad. They turn into tools for any future challenge, whether at work, in relationships, or in life in general.
Stories no one can take away from you
Traveling as a tourist means collecting fleeting memories. Living abroad means collecting stories that become an integral part of your identity. It’s that coffee you had every day on the same corner, the accent you adopt without realizing, the unlikely friendship with someone from the other side of the world.
In your twenties, when everything feels both urgent and uncertain, these stories act as anchor points — memories that shape you and that no one can ever take away.
Moving overseas in your twenties isn’t just about the glamour of airport photos or learning a new language. It’s about allowing yourself to live a chapter of life that forever transforms the way you see the world.
When living abroad, I felt like I was truly living for the very first time. Loves that appeared out of nowhere, places that looked like movie scenes, and friendships that blossomed from the most unexpected encounters. But above all, it was there that I discovered myself in the world. Far from the voices of friends and the influence of family, I learned to listen to myself truly. There was almost frightening freedom in being alone, but also a rare beauty in realizing that, in the silence of that solitude, I could finally hear who I really was.
And when you return (if you do so), you are no longer the same person. And maybe that’s the whole point.
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The article above was edited by Beatriz Gatz.
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