These days when I’m on the road, I’ve got a lot of responsibilities to juggle. Between sorting out transportation and accommodation (and let’s not forget the most important thing–food), actually traveling from one destination to the next, staying on top of my work for clients, writing blog posts, editing photos, staying active on social media and, oh yeah, actually enjoying my destinations, I don’t really have time for much else.
Which is why in the last several months, it’s been all but impossible for me to find the time to read for pleasure, much less actually finish an entire book. But when an old acquaintance from Thailand reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing her new book, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to reintroduce pleasure reading (dare I say relaxation?) into my life.
International Lifestyle: Moving abroad in your 20’s is pretty much exactly what it sounds like–a collection of short stories from people just like me who realized that staying in their home country just wasn’t what their hearts desired–and actually decided to do something about it. Curated by Jason Berkeley and Laura Gibbs (who contribute their own experiences as well), these stories detail how each author’s particular journey unfolded and the ups and downs they’ve encountered along the way.
And on a personal note, this book actually came into my life at the precise moment I needed it. As the dust was still settling on nearly two months of hurried travel and emotional upheaval, I found myself questioning everything. I found myself wondering where it was all leading and whether it was still worth the effort.
But with these lighthearted stories that, much like a classic episode of Full House, always ended with a heartwarming, meaningful life lesson, I remembered why I set out on this journey in the first place. I remembered that even now, after four years of living and traveling abroad, I still look at each new destination with the eyes of a child–full of awe and wonder as if experiencing everything for the very first time–and for that reminder, I will be forever grateful.
Organization
The book opens with a short introduction that explains the motivation behind the book and what the authors hope you’ll get out of it–namely inspiration and ideas for you to make the leap and create an international lifestyle of your own.
This is followed by 13 short stories penned by authors from all over the world, including all the painful moments and heartbreaks, the joys and the life lessons unique to their own experiences.
Finally, the book is rounded out by a section entitled Making it Happen. In this section, you’ll find helpful tips and resources (and a few final words of encouragement) to get you on the right path toward a new life abroad.
What I Loved
Short Chapters – Because my current lifestyle doesn’t allow much time for leisure activities, I was grateful for a book that didn’t require big investments of time. I could easily sit down and read a chapter whenever I had 5-10 minutes free, knowing that I wouldn’t have to think back to what had happened previously or that I wouldn’t get sucked into reading for ages for lack of a good place to pause.
Author Diversity – I half expected this book to be dominated by native English speakers, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t the case. It shares the experiences of a wide selection of authors from countries as varied as Venezuela, the Netherlands, India, Poland and Ukraine. I know quite well by now the American experience abroad (I’m living it, after all) and have plenty of expat friends from the UK or Australia (these are the people you meet while working as an English teacher), so I was far more interested in hearing about the expat experience from a new perspective, or even to gain some insight into what it’s like to live in the United States as an expat.
The Realness – There is no sugarcoating present in this book; each author tells a complete story, inclusive of all the gory details, mishaps and tragedies that accompany this type of lifestyle. In this blog, I would never want to convey that my life abroad is a piece of cake, because in reality, with every reward come twice as many challenges, and I’m grateful that International Lifestyle: Moving abroad in your 20’s practices the same ethos.
What I Didn’t Love
The Flow (or Lack Thereof) – A book written by many different authors is a tricky thing to pull off well. While some of the chapters were brilliantly written, poetic, and flowed like melted caramel, there were others that dragged on, included too many insignificant details, or simply lacked a certain lyricism that made them more of a chore to read. In the end, each and every story left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside (and, more often than not, fighting back tears on public buses) but because there was no real flow from one to the next, I wasn’t always compelled to power on to the next chapter.
The Mistakes – I received a promotional copy of this book for review purposes, so hopefully this is something that has since been remedied, but I noticed a number of typos that I wouldn’t expect to find in a book ready to be published.
My Favorite Excerpts
“…I was raised to become a product of exportation. My parents coined the term. We were in our living room in Caracas, and though I don’t quite remember, I feel the air was crisp after recent rains, the city blessed by a sky so clear that I haven’t seen any like it since. Claudia, you know how to speak English. Claudia, we have given you the world. Claudia, you are a product of exportation. Go, and don’t come back. This was simultaneously a gift, a threat, a curse, a joke, and above all, a promise that I’ve helped my parents keep. After 18 years in Venezuela, the country where all of my family is from and where most of them reside, I packed my bags and never looked back.” –Export Quality, Claudia Sofia Sosa
“[This lifestyle] was made possible simply by getting bored, but with the difference being actually doing something about it. Many people get bored or frustrated with where they are in life, but they refuse to take action. Sometimes they’re scared of the risk, for others it’s simply sheer apathy. But even if taking that risk becomes a mistake, it can never become a regret, because there is no bigger regret than when we ask ourselves what could have been.” –College Boy, Jake Schario
“When my Danish visa application was denied and I wasn’t allowed to legally be in the place that felt most like home, it was a messy transition to the nomadic life. Still, removal from Copenhagen also allowed me space to reflect on the nature of my attachments to place, people, and activities. That perspective helped me refine and clarify the personal priorities that inform many of my life decisions. Growth is not always pleasant, but I recognize that I am currently engaged in that messy process some might call maturation.” –No Cows on the Ice, Taryn McGovern
“Living abroad isn’t for everyone, but it is for the people that want to push themselves to be all that they can be. It’s for the people that never want to stop learning. It’s for the people that knew that there was more to the world than what they could ever see in the small town or city that they grew up in, or in the books that their teachers taught from.” –Soul of Seoul, Hallie Bradley
Overall Impression
International Lifestyle: Moving abroad in your 20’s is a fantastic read for anyone either currently living a similar lifestyle or those dreaming of making the transition. It’s an easy read, humorous at times, and uplifting and inspiring and all the way through. For those of you already living an international lifestyle, it may give you the jolt you need to remember why you chose this lifestyle in the first place and all of the meaningful things you stand to gain from it. For those of you still holding back, it may just be the final push you need to put one foot out the door.
International Lifestyle: Moving abroad in your 20’s is available as an e-book on Amazon.com.
Have you ever lived abroad or considered making the move? If you haven’t, what’s holding you back?
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