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Why I Moved Abroad…and Why I Moved Back

I moved to Paris for four years to pursue my studies and gain international work experience. Here’s what happened.

Jenn L.
Modern Women
9 min readNov 10, 2024

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Photo by Oleksandr P on Pexels

I lived abroad in Paris for almost four years. I arrived through a master’s degree program in Sustainability and Social Innovation at HEC Paris and transitioned to the French workforce, living the Parisian lifestyle for a few years before I decided to move back to the U.S. I found myself simultaneously near burnout and not adequately challenged in my corporate job when I decided to quit and trade my life of security for a more vagabond lifestyle as an expat. It wasn’t easy by any means. It was challenging, stimulating, exhilarating, and frustrating. I came out of the experience more confident in myself, more cultured, and more in touch with parts of myself that I had long neglected. I also finished the experience glad that I took the chance when I did, when I was still in my late twenties and did not have pets or a family to take with me.

The first big decision I made on this journey was to quit my stable job and trade it for a freer and uncertain future. The moment I quit my job was very nerve-wracking. When I handed in my resignation letter, I felt a strong compulsion to snatch the letter from my boss’s hands and call the whole thing off. But my hands remained…

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Jenn L.
Jenn L.

Written by Jenn L.

I write about my experience as a second generation Asian American, mental health, and female empowerment. Contact me at https://jenniferinparis.weebly.com

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