Living Life to the Fullest: My Journey Abroad

I've always dreamed of experiencing a cultural exchange. Immersing myself in an English-speaking country seemed like the perfect way to finally gain the confidence to speak fluently, connect with others, and understand and communicate with people from different backgrounds. I embarked on this solo journey for the first time because I was also seeking personal growth. I used to set self-knowledge as a New Year's goal, but I wasn't achieving it in the way I wanted. I needed to gain a deep understanding of myself.

I lived 15,500 km away from home for 400 days in Australia. Was it scary? Not that scary for me. But I can’t even remember how many times I heard people say, “Are you by yourself?” in an impressed tone. They called me "brave" for that. It took me a while to see myself that way. We often don’t recognise the good things about ourselves easily, but I eventually acknowledged my courage in quitting my last corporate job, which I enjoyed, to pursue a dream and live abroad.

At the end of the day, it’s just you with your conscience, your dreams, and your weaknesses. I really believe in the quote that says, "You have to be the change you want to see in the world." And I’m not talking about big things, but small, day-by-day actions. It was a life-changing experience in so many ways, simply by putting myself in a completely unfamiliar place on the other side of the world. Living abroad allowed me to face new situations and diverse challenges daily. It made me a more capable problem-solver.

"Try to leave the world a little better than you found it," a quote by Baden Powell, the founder of Scouting, has been inspiring me since I started participating in the movement. I knew that to become a better person, I needed to know more about myself—what I like to do, and how I am in happy and sad moments. I struggled with many things while living overseas, such as anxiety, income, and expectations. But everything happens in its own time.

When you’re living abroad, life moves even faster, and it’s a roller coaster of feelings. As a result, you learn and improve your emotional intelligence by dealing with various challenges. I pressured myself to be happy and grateful every day because I was living a dream, so I forced myself to enjoy it as much as I could. And I did, even though, as a human, I don’t have a perfect life and sometimes felt like I was missing out on something. I learned to persevere when I fail, instead of being afraid of failure, because I don’t believe that failure is a permanent condition.

Learning to enjoy the process is crucial and more important than just celebrating when you achieve the goal. For example, enjoying the English classes instead of wondering when the travel moments will come (inside a big trip). It wasn't that easy for me, especially after meeting people with the Working Holiday Visa who had months to just travel. As an explorer at heart, living in Perth, I was eager to know more places than just the city from day one. But I did a few road trips near the city; one memorable trip was to Margaret River by van. We had an amazing bonfire, a sky full of stars including shooting stars, and I was with over 15 people from Latin America who spoke Spanish. It was so much fun listening to different accents, and I felt at home with all of them.

The cultural shocks I experienced in Australia included the speed of life, the pace of people, and how easygoing Aussies are. They value personal space but also love to do things in groups, like running clubs, yoga, and meditation at the beach. Speaking of healthy activities, they are absolute outdoor lovers, which is amazing. Being in contact with nature is my favorite thing in the world, and it’s completely normal there to go camping with family or friends.

Australians are also early risers. Don’t expect to go out late at night because everything closes pretty early, but on the flip side, everyone wakes up at the crack of dawn, often before the sun is up. Compared to Brazilians, they are not very loud, they are very punctual, and there’s a huge sense of community in Australia. People support local businesses, second-hand stores are cultural staples, and people with common interests communicate through Facebook groups. I just love how open Australians are to foreigners in general. Australia is full of immigrants, which might be why they respect diverse backgrounds. I have a strong need to express my feelings, and I noticed how different it was to be so open with a friend very quickly. Giving compliments to others is normal for me. I remember missing hugging my new friends during my first month because, in Brazil, our greetings involve a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

To give some context, before heading to Australia, I already had a plan in mind: I wanted to move somewhere just after graduating from my English course, and living in Sydney was part of the plan from the start. However, when I graduated, I found myself struggling with what to do next—I know this is an enormous privilege, but I also felt pressured to make the most of every single moment, and I had other ideas about nice places to go. I remember my friends in Perth asking me, "Why are you leaving?" and my reply was always, "Why not?".

After saving money for so many years, I felt like the luckiest person in the world to see that I was actually living my dream. To be honest, for someone who usually sees the bright side of things, dealing with so many possibilities was challenging. I kept wondering how I could be sure I was making the "right" decision. But the truth is, there is no right or wrong—just different paths and their consequences. Once I realized that, I was alright. We really need to trust our hearts and instincts, and once we decide, we have to move forward with confidence. During another moment of my journey in Australia, my dad helped me stay focused on my decision and move on. Each person has their own journey, and while it’s easy to compare ourselves to others, we need to stay true to who we are.

I left Perth with an epic road trip to Melbourne with strangers. Two Canadian guys and two German girls. In fact, the second girl joined us at the end of the first week. We camped in so many nice places, and the first night was on a beach—it was magical. I could tell it would be full of stories and stunning landscapes like Margaret River, Esperance, Adelaide, and The Great Ocean Road. We created a friendship because, for almost three weeks, it was just us crossing the country from Western Australia, through South Australia, until we reached Victoria. At this point, I thought I would live on an island for a while, but plans changed, and I took a flight to Sydney, my new home in New South Wales.

The autonomy and freedom I had in Australia were incredible. In February, I traveled to the Gold Coast to visit my best friend, whom I met at university in Brazil. She had already visited my place in Perth in August, and we traveled up north with an Indonesian girl, with whom we became instant friends. The flexibility of casual jobs is great for the freedom you need. For example, on my birthday, I decided to take a spontaneous trip—no plans, just the desire to celebrate life and my new job by doing what I love most: traveling. I flew to Cairns, in the north of Australia, to snorkel at the world’s largest barrier reef. What an amazing day it turned out to be! I met two sisters from the USA and two others from England, and we spent the entire day together on the boat. I was so glad I booked that trip just the night before; it made my birthday.

At the end of my trip, I visited an Argentinian friend in Port Douglas, a nearby town. Even though I felt a bit embarrassed, the only way to get there was by hitchhiking, so I went for it—and it was worth it. Meeting her was such a joy, and it reminded me of how important it is to maintain meaningful friendships, even though I love making new ones. During this adventure, I realised something important: happiness was never about my job, my degree, or being in a relationship. It was never about following the traditional path set by others before me.

Happiness, I discovered, is in the journey—the thrill of discovery, the hope, and listening to my heart and following wherever it leads. It’s about being kind to myself and embracing who I’m becoming. That day, I understood that happiness is about learning how to live with yourself. It was never in the hands of others, nor defined by external factors. It was always within me.

The biggest lesson from this experience was seeing the different ways of living. Money comes and goes. In a very hard week when I was overwhelmed, looking for a job, and feeling guilty about paying rent in a place that wasn’t affordable for me, I heard from my dad, "You have to make money work for you, not the opposite." This hit me, and I learned to be as friendly with myself as I am with friends—to be patient, to understand that things take time, and that the secret is to be dedicated and ask for help when needed. Consistency matters, and it’s okay to have bad moments even if you’re living your dream. Happiness is a feeling, and like any feeling, it’s just a moment. And the biggest gift was realising that everywhere can be home when you enjoy being with yourself. It’s so important to be present, to find inner peace, to take care of ourselves, to remember our purpose, and to acknowledge how far we’ve come.

Another difficulty for me at the beginning was starting work in a hospitality job due to the physical demands, such as handling many plates at once, standing for long periods, and repeating the same movements. The high levels of stress in the restaurant environment during busy times, the fast pace, dealing with customers’ needs, food delays, explaining the menu, managing the section, multitasking—all in another language—were challenging. However, the qualities that made me a good waiter included a welcoming approach, helpfulness, paying attention to guests, smiling, making eye contact, and always striving to provide the best experience for them and those experiences made me more adaptive, flexible, resilient, hard worker, focus, communicative, and open-minded. I am so proud of my journey.

My last month before returning to my home country was spent backpacking through Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Thailand. I could write about that experience and its lessons in another article, but suffice it to say that it was the perfect ending to a beautiful Australian journey.

Traveling is not just about visiting new places but also about stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing new experiences. It’s challenging but exciting to try new things, expand your horizons, meet new people, immerse yourself in different cultures, and make the most out of every moment. By pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone, you will discover new perspectives, develop resilience, and grow as an individual. Living in a foreign country forces you to adapt, learn, and grow in ways you never imagined. By fully engaging with the culture, people, and opportunities around you, you learn to appreciate life in all its diversity and richness. In doing so, you not only explore the world but also unlock the potential within yourself to live a life filled with meaning, adventure, and fulfilment. And don’t worry about embarrassing yourself—it won’t change anything. So, pack your bags, take that leap, and let travel transform you!