Babi, please tell us about who you are and where you are from.

I’m a 26-year-old travel agent/interpreter from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. I came to London for the first time in 2005 – where after a little coming and going – I have been living ever since.

What motivated you to live abroad? 

Back in 2005, living abroad wasn’t exactly my choice. My mum had recently married and it was decided that maybe life could be better over here. Even if I didn’t like the idea back at the time, today I see that they couldn’t have made a better choice. I lived in London from 2005 to 2007 and then went back to Brazil, where I stayed for a year or so before returning to England again.
 
What were your expectations before you moved to England? Did the reality align with those expectations?

​15-year-old me didn’t know what to think, all I remember is that I was scared to death. I thought it was going to be freezing cold and that I would never make any friends. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to learn the language properly. Back then the only contact I had ever had with England was through my step-father and that wasn’t enough to make me believe I could actually like living here. The reality was that I adapted really quickly, made lots of friends where I studied and it wasn’t really as cold as I thought it would be!

What are the biggest challenges in starting a new life abroad?

Learning how to deal with loneliness and not letting that get in the way of making new friends where you live. Trying to integrate and embrace a new culture that could potentially  be totally different from yours is also a huge deal. In the beginning I struggled a lot because I thought people wouldn’t like the way I was. In my head I was different in a bad way, and people wouldn’t approve of me. I had to learn how to let go of that thought and free myself to be who I am without worrying if I was pleasing people or not.
 
And what do you love about it?

The freedom of thought and expression. London is one of the most diverse cities in the whole world. I love that I can be anywhere in the world just by hopping on a bus, without even leaving the city. Living abroad has opened up my mind to a lot of things, the world is much much bigger than I thought and the possibilities are endless!
 
How has living abroad changed you? What have you learned?

I spent my whole childhood in Brazil, but it was England that taught me the responsibilities of an adult. I learned not to judge and to respect people who were from a different cultural background. Today, I am a much more open-minded individual and I take pride in that.
 
What do you wish you had known before leaving your home country?

That from all of the people who were yet to walk out of my life, I shouldn’t fear because the most important ones would stay. And that we often underestimate our power of adapting to new settings and environments.
 
 What’s the biggest difference between your life in Brazil and in England?

​In Brazil my life seemed to be more exciting, but I can’t do much comparing because I was young and didn’t have a lot of responsibilities. I don’t get to spend a lot of family time as I would have wanted and the city and people may not be as lively as Brazilians. It sounds bad but the good side is that I’m not constantly having my personal space invaded. 

What do you miss the most about Brazil?

Being with my family and the feeling I know everyone on the street. Being able to see my old friends, and the way Brazilian people are in general. Brazilians have the ability of making the best out of a bad situation and I miss that a lot.
 
Tell us about your blog.

My blog started in 2012 when I was going through a very rough patch in my life. I felt like my life had no purpose and that I wasn’t in touch with the person I had known myself to have been all my life, I felt like a stranger to myself. I started it as a way to get my head off certain thoughts and to keep myself busy. It turned out to be one of the best forms of therapy I have ever encountered!
 
What does living a creative life mean to you?

Finding inspiration in the littlest things. Observing the world, people and things around you with empathy in order to be able to get to the real essence. It means letting things flow and not forcing myself to like or do anything I don’t truly wish to.
 
What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m trying to work my way up as an interpreter. I am also a travel agent, so it means that I’m also juggling those two things at the same time! Personally speaking, I’m trying to improve myself and my thoughts as a person, and being more in tune with the world around me. I’ve recently started learning how to meditate and I’m loving it!
 
Any advice you’d like to share with those who dream of creating a new, happier life?

​Accept who you are and go after the things you wish deep down. Dedicate a little bit of your life to others who are in need. Look after your mind and be in peace with it.

This was lovely, thanks Babi! :) 

Are you living abroad? Please share your experience! 

Ivna, please tell us about who you are and where you are from.

​I am a Brazilian journalist and writer and I've been living in Belgium since 2005. I was born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. I came to Europe in 2003 to do a master's degree and I met my husband, with whom I have a son. 

What motivated you to live abroad?

I wanted to speak a foreign language and I chose French. That's why I went to Strasbourg. I also wanted to know a bit more about the EU. In Strasbourg there is a good University where I could focus on this topic.

What were your expectations before you moved to Belgium? Did the reality align with those expectations?

I did't know Belgium before. I came here because my husband works for Le Parisien newspaper. I also became a correspondent for a Brazilian newspaper and after that I became a Portuguese teacher for Europeans, especially at the European Parliament.
Belgium is a very good country with a good quality of life. The multicultural environment is very attractive and I love this because every day I can learn with them. 

What are the biggest challenges in starting a new life abroad?

I think that it's the integration. We have to be open to the other culture and the other way of thinking. In the beginning it was very difficult because I didn't have friends. In addition, I had to face the reality. I was very lonely, I had never known that in Brazil. I have a big family and many friends.  Now I've made many friends and I am very adapted to the country. 

How has living abroad changed you? What have you learned?

Living abroad is something very special. You get to know many people, you have to speak another language, and if you compare it to Rio, Belgium is very cold.
I've learned to be open minded, more patient, and that people are the same everywhere. I think that in Belgium we have respect for people, the political conscience is more concrete and the relationship between people has to be respected. Teachers, doctors, lawyers and children have to know what they are and respect each other.
 
What do you wish you had known before leaving your home country?

More about politics in Belgium, for example. How this country can function with the complicated system.

Tell us about your writing. What inspires you?

I love to write. I love Portuguese and I love reading. I am a journalist, as I said. My son Elias is my inspiration. I was very happy when he was born and I thought "why not write about the different phases of a baby?".
And then, one day I found out I had breast cancer and he asked me what was happening all the time. So I explained and I presented this idea to a friend of mine, a writer too, Thalita Rebouças. She presented this to an editor and the editor loved it immediately. What´s happening to my mummy? tells my own story of facing breast cancer with my son.  

What are you working on at the moment? 

I am teaching Portuguese to Europeans and I am a French to Portuguese translator as well. And I have finished too books for children, one about King Pedro II and the other about the twins Fábio and Rafael.

Any advice you’d like to share with those who dream of creating a new, happier life?

I think people can live every day with passion. I know that's difficult, but when you almost die because of a disease you see things in another way. Only you can make your life a happy life. Happiness is inside us...

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Ivna! 

How about you? Have you been recreating your life abroad? Feel free to leave a comment! 

I met Taíra in 2010 at the school where we both taught English as a second language. I had just returned from the USA and she had just come back from the Netherlands. We both shared dreams of traveling: I ended up in Belgium and she went to Mexico. Today she's back in our town, blogging and working with what she trully loves: fashion!

Here's an interview with a girl who's living her dreams: 

Ana: What inspired you to live abroad?

Taíra: I always loved traveling, meeting people, cultures and I already had this desire to know other countries, so it was easy for me to make this decision.

Ana: Where did you live and what did you do?

Taíra: I lived in Amsterdam for 1 year. I was an au pair, so I took care of 3 beautiful kids and I also studied English during 6 months. Living in Amsterdam was wonderful! The city is perfect and very ready to receive foreigners. I had the amazing opportunity to go to museums, restaurants, parks, parties, know the culture, language, food... everything possible!

Besides that I knew a lot of Brazilian au pairs and they were part of this dream, during all the year we had a lot of fun. In my free time I was always traveling with them. I made a plan: know a country per month, and I did it. It was an amazing experience!

And then I lived in Mexico for 2 years, working as a model. Over there I traveled a lot too. I know a lot of cities in Mexico, and also in the Caribbean and the USA. Living in Mexico was a great experience as well because it is totally different from Europe. Life in Mexico is not that easy. The city is too big and life is a rush. But it was also an amazing opportunity!

Ana: What did you love most about it?

Taíra: I loved living the culture in general: language, people, food and habits. But the most important for me was the experience of living alone, and also knowing a lot of countries.

Ana: What was the most difficult part of your experience?

Taíra: It was very difficult to be so far away from my family and friends. I missed them a lot.

Ana: How has living abroad changed you? What important things have you learned?

Taíra: Today I can say that living abroad changed me 100%. I am a better person. I know how to deal with the difficulties of life and I know how family and friends are important in our lives.

Ana: Do you think that the experience still influences your decisions and what you do today?

Taíra: For sure! When I arrived in Brazil, after 1 year of living abroad, I was sure I would like to travel more. I had an opportunity to go to Mexico and work as a model, so I did it and loved it a lot. It was perfect!

Ana: How was your re-entry in Brazil?

Taíra: It’s always very difficult to get used to living in Brazil again, especially in my city, which is smaller.  I was used to being free, to traveling when I wanted and in my city it is very difficult to get a good and cheap air plane ticket, and there are few flights. Besides that, everything here is more expensive. In Amsterdam and in Mexico I had a better life (thinking about money, traveling or shopping) than here in Brazil.

Also a very important point is living with the family again. I lived alone for 3 years, and now I am living with mom, dad and brothers, I need to get used to it again. When I arrived everybody was very happy! They missed me as I missed them. Nothing was changed! They were here waiting for me.

It was difficult to decide not to travel anymore. I decided to be in Brazil because of my family, friends and mainly to have a stable life. But it is hard! I am always thinking about traveling again.

Ana: Tell us about the work you do now.

Taíra: I’ve always worked as a model, since I was 13. I did it in Mexico for 2 years and now I am back in Brazil, working as a Fashion Consultant and Fashion Blogger and I am loving it. I am always in fashion events; I do interviews for TV, talking about fashion and I also teach fashion to saleswomen in clothing stores. In my city this is very important! It’s big! Now I see that I am working and studying hard to get where I want, I am in the middle of that!

I studied Portuguese in college, and I also taught English for many years. I loved the experience, but I prefer working with Fashion.

Ana: Any advice for those who dream of living abroad or following their dream career?

Taíra: Just do it! It’s worth it!

You can find Taíra on her blog: Também é Moda, Facebook and Twitter.