Move Abroad at Least Once in your Life and Reinvent Yourself.
Be bold, you don’t know what gem might be waiting for you on the other side.
I love making life changing decisions! The rush of dopamine feels incredible!
The first one was made at the age of 23 when I decided to leave France to go spend a year in London (Oh joy!).
The goal was to improve my english and hopefully gain an interesting life experience too.
This had never been heard of or done in my family before and so, of course… The news created quite a few ripples (to say the least), but hey, you only live once, right?!
It was a rather big gamble as I was pretty much “on my own” to make this work. I was extremely motivated, but there were other factors that were out of my control, so I knew it was very possible I could be back home within a few weeks or so with my tail between my legs… Cringeeeee.
Also… Back then, the internet wasn’t what it is now and smartphones did not exist (yes, I’m that old — Ha!). This meant, no WhatsApp videos with friends and family AT ALL, no instant messaging, no Apple Wallet or multi currency bank cards for purchases, no booking apps for accommodation or transportation — Nada. Thinking about it now, it totally feels like we were in prehistoric times (LOL)!
Anyway, I did take the Eurostar to London on 1 September 2002 and got myself settled in a lovely Georgian house in Islington to work as an au pair for a British family with two young girls. This had been arranged by myself beforehand, so at least I knew I’d have a roof over my head, food and pocket money sorted out straight away.
To cut a very long story short, for the ones who don’t know it yet, I’m still in London (that’s 20+ years later = success!) and things worked out so well with the family, that I actually ended up living with them for 11 amazing years!! I worked for them for 4 years while I was also studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and then I decided to find myself a different job in London. However, we were all getting on so well by then, that I was offered to stay and live with them anyway to help the new French au pair when needed.
Just mind blowing kindness and generosity on tap!
The bonus is that we are still friends to this day and see each other on a regular basis!
I call them my English family because they welcomed me with open arms and really took me in as one of their own. They showed me a ton of respect, took great care of me and never ever took me for granted. We lived as a family the whole time, they even used to take me out to dinner, to the cinema, to exhibitions, to their cottage in the countryside during the weekend to relax and we even went on numerous holidays in the UK and abroad together.
Looking back now, I really could not have hoped for a better life experience! It has totally broadened my horizons and transformed me in the best of ways. I’ve had amazing personal and professional opportunities which would not have been possible had I stayed in France…
Let’s end tonight’s story with a beautiful quote from Mark Twain:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ”
That’s all for tonight my friends. I Hope you liked the story and are feeling inspired.
See ya!
Addie
