Living Abroad Gave Me the Space to Solve My Problems
Two years ago, I was on a plane from Thailand to Indonesia, crying more tears than rain falls annually in Seattle. This was the start of my first solo travel experience.
My boyfriend at the time had recently flown back home to the mainland USA. I persuaded him to move to Asia with me, working from our laptops whilst living regular lives abroad.
Laptop lifestyle didn’t suit him, so he bought a ticket back home.
So there I was, on an AirAsia flight crying because I didn’t know where my relationship with him was going. Plus I never intended, nor wanted, to travel alone.
And it turns out there were things I needed to learn living away from my home country and meeting people on my own:
Like how I was raised in a culture that avoids talking about conflict or accepting criticism — so if I want to experience truly deep relationships, I need to relearn how to communicate with others, be upfront, and accept criticism.
Or the reality check that most people around the world do not appreciate Filipino cuisine the way I was raised to.
Staying in your home country or city surrounds you with people who operate similarly to you by default.
