Taking the leap

It's daunting! It's exciting! It's terrifying! It's exhilarating! 

Quitting your job and stepping into the unknown. 

If it were easy, everyone would do it—or would they? Why do people move away? Why do they decide that having a steady income and a roof over their heads isn't the be-all and end-all?

I still don't understand my need to give up my handy life and make things more complicated.

I am an introvert, an antisocial human who really enjoys their own company. Going out with other people generally instils a fear in me that is crippling. Ok, that's an exaggeration, it just makes me uncomfortable. Whether it's a small gathering of people I know quite well, or a setting with many people, some that I know, some that I don't, they both make me want to instantly put on my PJs and hide.

So, why did I decide that leaving the country and starting over again would make me a different person? No clue. Spoiler alert.....It hasn't worked!

I have done this before. In 2016 I decided to leave my well-paying, easyish, if not a little boring job, to move to Canada. I got my 2-year visa, not knowing what was in store for me. As a college dropout, I had very little on my CV, almost 10 years experience working as an operator in a pharmaceutical factory......not the most promising candidate for most employers. 

At a Canadian job fair in Ireland before moving, the only stand that spent more than 1 minute speaking to me was a hog slaughtering factory, who were very eager to pay for my flights and the first month's accommodation upon arriving. The flights and accommodation sounded promising, but hog slaughtering was not high on my list of desires. 

But I motored on, convinced it would all work out. That's my motto...."'Twill all work out". This makes people think I am a very chilled-out person, nothing can phase me. This is both true and false. I take big risks, quitting jobs, moving countries, with very little money in my pocket. 

Most people probably think this is a very foolish thing to do (me included) but I am extremely fortunate to have extremely supportive parents, who I know will help me out if I get myself into a hole or take me back into their home if things go belly up! I am very aware that not everyone has this support system, and I will be forever grateful to my parents, who also happen to be my best friends.

So that's really where my moving abroad journey began. It most certainly hasn't been plain sailing, I have been unbearably sad, immensely happy, and every other emotion in between. 

Want to hear more about it? Stick around for the next chapter!