Future expatriate: Where do these questions come from? You or other curious minds? The truth is, you don’t need to know now where this opportunity will take you. It’s understandable and responsible to think about the future, but try not to put pressure on yourself to have your future fully planned out before you even begin this exciting journey. This reminds me of the saying: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase.” Just take the first step.
As long as you stay present and intentional about how you spend your time, you will come away with a new perspective and rich life experience that will serve you well in everything that follows. But so that You To be able to live in the excitement that this new chapter brings, you may need help overcoming the anxiety related to uncertainty about what’s next.
Let’s start by naming your fears and anxieties. One by one. Write them down. Acknowledge them. Sometimes you have to face each fear head on to minimize its power over you. It may even be helpful to perform worst-case scenario exercises. Once you have this sorted out, you can temporarily put these worries aside and start dreaming without any limitations arising from fear-based thought patterns.
Ultimately, the decision to stay in Madrid or return to the United States will be greatly influenced by your mindset at the start. It is therefore useful to start clarifying now your desires regarding the life you want to build for yourself. What life situation do you see yourself in for the next two to five years? Are you okay with roommates or do you prefer to live alone? How much money do you hope to save per month to support this ideal lifestyle? What would your ideal nightlife and social scene look like? Do you want to be able to travel and experience different cultures and places frequently? Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy? Any religious or spiritual practices or groups you would like to be a part of? How do you like to move around in your ideal world? By bike, on foot, by car, by public transport?
It’s easy to fantasize about life abroad, but it’s important to be realistic about your openness to the idea of settling outside of the United States. Is proximity to family a priority? Are you willing to have Spanish be your primary language for more than a year? Do your long-term career goals require U.S. residency? Do you need a connection to the United States through an expat community to feel settled? Are you comfortable being a cultural minority?
It can take years to really understand a new place, but you don’t want to get to the end of your trip without having learned as much as possible about what all of Madrid has to offer. These areas of exploration can help you determine how you plan to use your free time and can serve as a conversation starter to build relationships with locals and expats. You don’t want to end up making the “safe choice” to return home just because you still have unanswered questions at the end of your trip.
Remember: you are so young! You will make “mistakes” in your 20s. And your thirties. And your forties. You probably don’t have kids, a spouse, or a mortgage, so the stakes are relatively low right now. If you decide to live in Madrid for a while and hate it, you can always pivot!
