Before I give you the breakdown on why I moved out of the U.S. for the second time, let me give you a brief synopsis of why I moved the first time and what brought me back. In 2022, I decided to leave my beautiful studio high-rise apartment overlooking the city skyline of Oklahoma City to return to Atlanta, GA, to be with family because I was spending way too much time alone due to COVID19 outbreak.
The decision to move back to Atlanta was not an easy one; I contemplated this choice for months before making the move. Once I was back in the presence of my family, it immediately felt like the wrong decision.
I was there for only six months before I decided to move out of the country to Mexico. I made the decision only two months prior to officially moving, which gave me little time to sell my valuables and save as much as I could before my exit. I booked a one-way ticket to Playa del Carmen after doing tons of research and left with no regrets.
Living in another country near the beach had to be better than what I was experiencing, so I did it without telling anyone, knowing the language, having cell phone service, or knowing anyone there. It was still the best decision I could’ve made for my life at the time.
Fast forward six months into my stay, ready to continue my journey abroad with a booked flight to Costa Rica, and suddenly my computer dies and I start to experience extreme abdominal pain out of nowhere at the exact same time. This left me with no choice but to call the very people I had escaped from for help, because I was no longer able to make money from my computer and had used up my savings trying to survive.
I returned to the U.S. and stayed with a family friend until I could get back on my feet. I was offered a position in higher education, landing me a salary position making the most money I had ever made in my life.
This opportunity allowed me to buy my first luxury two-door sports car and get an apartment close to my job. Life was looking up, until… Seven months after acquiring my beautiful luxury car, it was stolen from in front of my home, never to be found again. I was devastated. I was now commuting to work either in an Uber, which became very costly, or by bus, which became very troublesome. Waiting for the bus in the early hours, cold mornings, hot evenings, and dealing with delays made me reflect in a way that ultimately made me say, “I can’t do this anymore.”
Two months after my car was stolen, I quit. I no longer wanted to live this life of waiting at a bus stop to go to or come from an ungrateful job that didn’t appreciate my hard work or my good energy. When I was driving my car less than ten minutes to work, it didn’t seem so bad, but when you have ample time waiting for your delayed bus, you have no choice but to reflect on how sucky things really. It no longer felt worth it.
It felt like they were paying me to be unhappy, trapped for 9 hours in an environment that was toxic and unnecessarily drama-filled. This was not how I wanted to live my life, and since buying a new car wasn’t an option because I was still paying for the other car that was no longer in my possession, I was over it all. And based on the state of the world, it felt like it was now or never.
So, three months after quitting my job, I broke my lease, sold everything I owned inside my apartment, put the rest in storage, and headed back abroad. This time, it wasn’t just about escaping my family; it was all about finally being able to heal. I was ready to heal my body and my mind from the trauma of participating in the rat race of America. I was tired of living in fight-or-flight mode, tired of feeling unsafe in a country I called home, tired of being poisoned by everything I was consuming, and tired of being overcharged for everything.
My first escape revealed the promise of a better life—superior food, atmosphere, and value. Instead of letting it be a distant memory, I decided to make it a reality once more, this time with more experience and more knowledge.
My advice to anyone wanting to live or travel abroad is to not let a job, location, relationship, or anything else that is making you unhappy prevent you from seizing the opportunity to see the world and experience real happiness. Just do your research, pick your place, and watch how life starts to feel more magical.
Take the leap!
