Is coming abroad really worth it?

Been a semester at one of the most visited places in the world — LA — On the opposite side of the earth, from where my house is. I’ve had mixed feelings about this decision. But whatever be it — this quote screams at me: “Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re going to love it.”

I embarked on this journey just on a conquest to learn more, meet more people, and basically discover what I truly am. I was everything and nothing before this.

If you’re someone like me, you’re leaving a lot behind. There are a lot of sacrifices that go unseen in this rather imposing stories of people partying and visiting beautiful places. You’re leaving a rich life behind you — and by rich I mean, just having all the basic necessities. You probably have a vehicle to travel in, your own room, and money to eat at least eat out once a week. You’re leaving behind the bonds you had with your family and friends. If you were living with your parents as I did, you miss out on so much more. My sister is going to grow up to follow her dreams and I get to see only episodes of it whenever I go back home. My parents eat at the same table with all the wonderful home-cooked food and conversations, just without me— and the worst part is they are going to get used to it.
You are going to get used to this feeling too but do you want to is the question?
I had to leave a friend group that used to hang out almost every day of the week, friends who were a call away when I was bored. One of my best friends lost his dad while I was away — I couldn’t even give him a hug when he probably needed it the most in his life. This is the feeling that sucks. These are times you wonder if you’re this selfish and if you want to pursue your dreams at this cost. Yes, thanks to video calls, everyone is a call away, but again you’ll have to find a suitable time given the time difference and it’s not the same feeling as meeting them physically. You’re going to sleep hungry on days and there’s no one to ask you to eat something. This might sound daunting — and it is.

but there’s no other way I would do this. If someone asks me if they should go to a completely new country with just two suitcases in hand, I would say yes, absolutely, at least once in your life. You realize you’re so insignificant in this huge huge world and the things you worry about on a daily basis are even smaller. You learn to feel blessed with whatever you have. You struggle for everything — from getting to your place from the airport to cooking food for yourself every day. The value of a penny — which your dad always told you about, you’re going to realize it here. It’s a painful way of learning to spend time with yourself, love yourself, be compassionate to others and embrace new cultures. You realize humans are the same everywhere, irrespective of where they are from — give respect and take respect.

If you ever have the chance to go to a completely new place — please do — you’ll either love it or even better — understand how much you love your HOME.

“Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re going to love it.”