Go back to take a better jump forward

Language student vs. COVID-19

I study Applied Language Studies, and I am currently finishing my master’s degree in Multilingual Communication. I have always had a penchant for languages and intercultural communication and I have been dreaming of living and working abroad since I was a child. Part of the charm of the ALS bachelor programme was the Erasmus semester, through which I would get the chance to study abroad for 5 months. 5 months of total immersion in a foreign culture, making new friends, experiencing life in another country… It sounded like a dream. I had been accepted to a prestigious university in Madrid, and was working my way through the administrative merry-go-round when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe. 

Soon, my university decided to suspend all outbound academic mobility for at least a year, and with that my adventure abroad came to an end before it had even begun. The worst part was that the bachelor study programme did not really allow an exchange semester later on, as I was going to graduate that very year. This meant that studying abroad was no longer an option. 

Second time's a charm? 

The year after, in September 2021, I enrolled in my master’s, hoping I would finally get the chance to go abroad, this time through an internship. Despite the fact that the study programme allowed internships abroad, the curriculum and workload were too heavy and an international internship turned out to be impossible. Not only did the workload cause me to postpone my thesis for a year, but it also shattered my dreams and plans to go live abroad. Again. At this point, I was sure that I would never get the chance to follow my dream. 

Change of plans

In September 2022, I started working as a hospitality manager in my hometown, a job that I would be doing for a year and that I would be combining with my thesis. Even though I was perfectly happy at this job, I just could not get over the fact that I had missed out on the opportunity of an experience abroad. It kept gnawing at me and I felt like I would regret it for the rest of my life. 

In December 2022, I decided that I did not want to live with this regret anymore and I decided to take the leap. Ten minutes of insane courage made me quit my job and the next day, I applied for an internship at Yobbers. Just before Christmas, I received the message that I had been hired and that I would start my 6-month internship in Valencia at the beginning of February. Yay! I could not believe that it was finally happening and I was so overwhelmed by the news that I could not stop smiling for a week or so.

Along with endless joy, a little bit of panic entered my mind. I only had a month to figure everything out and to be ready to move to a whole other country! Sounds crazy, right?! However, I think that sometimes you just need to let your mind go blank and dive in. One step at a time, I dealt with all of the paperwork, I found an apartment, booked my flight and said goodbye to my family and friends. Looking back, this was such a wonderful period full of anticipation, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Living my best life

Today I am almost halfway through my internship and it turns out that coming to Spain has been one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I am really living my best life: I have a great job, I meet wonderful people every day and I absolutely love the Spanish vibe and culture. I cannot even imagine what my life was before this anymore, because it feels so amazingly whole right now. 

I had to wait quite a bit of time for the right timing to go abroad. I even had to take a step back in order to take a better jump forward. To anyone who dreams of moving abroad: go for it! Yes, it can be scary. Yes, it takes a bit of preparation and courage. But if you put your mind to it, I promise you that it will all work out. Take the leap, it will be worth it. And do it now, because if not now… then when?