Living abroad

Living abroad

Advantages of Living abroad

• The international life I have known is so much a part of who I am, that I forget to appreciate how wonderful it is to have had the opportunities to live in different countries. My parents deserve all the credit because without their initiative to uproot our family multiple times, I would not have had the rich experiences which shaped me into the person I am today. In particular, I am thankful for the following 'top 10' advantages I have gained from living overseas.

Languages: beyond speaking more than one language, I fine tuned my ability to communicate with people of all walks of life. My non-verbal communication skills speak to my ability to be equally engaging in my conversations with the cleaning lady as the owner of my husband's company. In the end, I believe my choice of words for writing (as you see it here) was heavily influenced by my overseas experiences. German is my mother tongue, Portuguese came next, English was only third.

• Languages: beyond speaking more than one language, I fine tuned my ability to communicate with people of all walks of life. My non-verbal communication skills speak to my ability to be equally engaging in my conversations with the cleaning lady as the owner of my husband's company. In the end, I believe my choice of words for writing (as you see it here) was heavily influenced by my overseas experiences. German is my mother tongue, Portuguese came next, English was only third.
• Independence: the only steady and reliable person who could help me through the sometimes difficult parts of relocating (apart from my parents) was myself. I credit this skill for the personal strength and perseverance I have today to overcome problems (which usually appear to be of relatively smaller size). And, the ability to be perfectly content when I am on my own.
• Empathy: not only because I have seen extreme poverty by living in a third world country, but also because I am deeply in touch with my emotions. I am thankful for the sensitivity I have when people around me are struggling or mistreated. And I am very eager to spend my volunteer hours to benefit an international cause.