I’m about to embark on my own journey as an expat. I’ll be living in Paris with my EU husband.
I speak good French and having lived in France twice before for 9-mo stints each, I am familiar enough with French culture to empathize with the negative and positive critiques that people share on this subreddit. In other words, I know what to expect.
Nonetheless I am still nervous about the move; fitting in, finding a community, finding my tribe. I’m nervous about feeling like I’ve made a colossal mistake to sell everything and move here.
The truth is is that reading this subreddit does not make me féel very optimistic. I read posts lamenting the move abroad, the regrets you have, the challenge adapting, and none of which are unwarranted! I get it Expat life is difficult!
……But my question is…is there anyone here who is happy with their decision to have moved abroad?
I moved to Japan from the US nearly 30 years ago. I am very happy here, and plan to stay.
There are several reasons I am happy here: I have a a job I enjoy, I love the neighborhood where I live, and most of all, I have made friends. I have a Japanese husband and some Japanese friends (most of whom speak English well), but also many non-Japanese people who are here long-term. There are positive and negative aspects to any culture, but if you can surround yourself with people who appreciate the positive aspects, it helps a lot.