I’ve Never Lived Abroad (Except College In London). It’s One Of The Few Regrets I Have. Do It If You Get The Chance.

A young man I met through an online cohort-based course asked me for life advice. He just resigned from his current job and has no plans for next year. My advice — move abroad.

Attending college in London was the first and only time I lived outside of Singapore. Moving away from home to a new city was an amazing experience, especially as a wide-eyed twenty year old. Even though London was expensive for a poor college student, I had a really good time for the most part. Live music at concert venues all across London, London Film Festival at the National Film Institute in Southbank, Regent Park and Hyde Park, weekend markets at Brick Lane and Notting Hill, football games at Old Trafford.

I also took advantage of budget flights from London to travel all over Europe. Travelling is good, but living abroad is even better.

Immersing yourself in a new culture and country makes you feel alive.

One of my first impressions of London is how the air smells different. And, of course, the dreary winters and wet pavements. People complain about the weather all the time, but coming from a city that is hot and humid all year round, I actually quite enjoyed cold and wet London. Besides the weather, everything felt different. The Victorian houses, the shops on the high streets, the traditional British pubs, drinking copious amounts of tea — I embraced it all.

Realising wherever you come from is not the centre of the universe, and there are different ways of life, is important.

Sometimes we get caught up with whatever it is we are chasing — money, fame, success — we lose sight of the fact that our context is not everybody’s context, and our ambition does not speak for everyone else. Granted, you don’t have to move abroad you realise this, but it’s much easier to understand this when you meet people who lead entirely different lives. Pre-Covid, I spent a couple of summers in Umbria and Tuscany. The idea of moving to the Italian countryside at some point is definitely appealing.

Moving abroad can help you understand yourself better.

‘You don’t know what you don’t know’ is cliched but true. Of all the things in life worth knowing, knowing yourself is probably the most important. Self-awareness deserves an essay on its own, but it’s worth making the point here that when your worldview is limited to where you grew up, it’s challenging to get to truly know yourself. If you have never lived in the Japanese countryside learning pottery, how do you know your true calling in life is to be a farmer-ceramicist? If you have never lived with a bunch of musicians from Marrakech, how do you know that’s not your tribe?

Your life experience and personal story are enriched by the time you spend abroad.

I recently interviewed a young Singaporean who dropped out of college because he was so bored, moved to New York City for an internship, and became employee #1 at a startup that now operates the largest indoor strawberry farm in the world. After four years at the startup, he decided to take some time off to travel across the US and spend time in Europe. He stood out from all the candidates I interviewed for the role precisely because he has such a unique personal journey, one that took courage and a sense of adventure.

I hired him.