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Leaving a Country

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  • August 24, 2014 at 8:31 pm #63880
    Evelyn
    Participant

    I was born in Taiwan but my whole family moved abroad when I was 5. I’ve spent some time living in China, Singapore, the US, and Canada. I’ve always thought that my life was going to be somewhere out there, in either the US or Canada. I loved my life there and I believed all my life, that North America was where I belonged.

    2 years ago, my family had a financial crisis and I had to leave Canada for Taiwan. Given that I lived in different cities every couple years, I never obtained any other nationality other than Taiwan. Going back was the only way I could survive; since I couldn’t work in Canada.

    I’ve never lived in Taiwan and I hated it. For 2 years, I struggled every single day, wondering what life would’ve been if I was able to stay in Canada. I felt bitter every time I talked to a friend in Canada and sometimes the sense of loss is overwhelming. I left behind my friends, my life, my school, everything I dreamed of. Without sufficient funds and a visa, there is pretty much 0% chance of me going back to North America to live. It’s funny, how I spent my entire life living elsewhere, and eventually coming back to my homeland, but feel like a complete stranger.

    I’m still bitter. I’m still struggling. I’m still trying to accept the fact that I’ve lost the life I’ve always wanted. I’m trying to focus on the life I’ve gained in Taiwan, but I can’t help thinking how I’d gladly trade everything in a heartbeat for a chance back there.

    There’re certain things in life that you can achieve if you want it bad enough, but this isn’t one of those things, and it breaks my heart to think that no matter how much I desire, I’ll never have that life back again.

    • This topic was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Evelyn.
    August 26, 2014 at 10:26 am #63967
    Mariposita
    Participant

    Dear Evelyn, you never know how life will turn out. I’ve lived in different countries and experienced things that I never thought would be possible! You will learn from this experience, this journey that we call life.. You will end up where you need to be, but you have to learn the lesson why life brought you back to your native country in order to move on.

    August 26, 2014 at 6:53 pm #63973
    Thomas Raven
    Participant

    Hey Evelyn,

    I read your post and felt that maybe I can help just a little. I was raised in the UK but never truly felt that the craziness of London was home. Sadly, I had £20000 of debt hanging over me and I felt well and truly stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, unable to move and find somewhere I could truly stop. Anyway, I was never interested in school and although I dabbled in various college courses I was ultimately a jack of all trades, master of none. This didn’t bother me so much, however, for me to get away from the UK I needed qualifications, skills, money or whatever else customs and immigration usually require from you. So, I found a job, it felt like starting 20000 miles behind everyone else in terms of achieving financial goals and was crushing at times when I had to commit to 12 hour days and nights, 7 days a week. After half a year of overtime and long hours my debt was free and I was able to save for myself. Eventually, I had enough money in my account to see me away for quite some time.

    I had an incident at work and was forced to quickly weigh up my options on my next move and decided that New Zealand was the place I was going to escape the craziness of the city and have some time and space alone to grow. Anyway, long story short now, once I arrived here I’ve learnt of many people travelling on simple working holiday (backpacker) visa getting residency to citizenship passports. It all starts with one set step. Most of the company I’ve kept since arriving in this country has been backpackers, like me. You wouldn’t believe how many avenues are open for you to get your foot in the door. I’ve heard of a few stories of simple fast food workers getting work visas!

    If you are young enough (under 30) then look at getting a working holiday visa, then work on fields or in offices doing temp work, earning money to pay for visas/legal costs, then gradually work your way towards a work visa or residency. Talk with your employers, talk to work colleagues, talk to everyone about your intentions and eventually a peice of the jigsaw will fall into place. If you are fortunate, you may even find employers willing to sponsor you!

    Being from a similar position to yourself, I have every confidence that you’ll make it happen! I wish you all the best!

    August 26, 2014 at 7:08 pm #63974
    Krista Jennings
    Participant

    Evelyn, keep pushing forward. Good things are in the making.

    August 26, 2014 at 8:49 pm #63982
    Evelyn
    Participant

    Thank you everyone, for being encouraging. It really makes me feel a lot more positive.

    To Thomas, I had the exact same idea: Apply for a working visa and eventually try to find a permanent job abroad. I was told by both friends and family that I’m way too old to risk a future on the possibility of never finding a long-term job and end up having to come back to start back at square one. I’m 26. To me, it’s either now or never, but I guess with so many people telling me that it’s a bad idea and witnessing several friends coming back from Australia only to start over with job hunts, my determination started to thin out.

    I really needed that boost of confidence to know that someone took a leap of faith and loved what they’re doing. I can either stay on the safe side and feel miserable for years to come, or I can take a chance at being happy. I may not be in the position to just up and leave instantly, but I will definitely put that option back in the deck, and hopefully make it happen by next year. Thank you for your story.

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Evelyn.
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