"My first expat venture came at 23, when I moved to London on a two-year working holiday visa. My fascination started as a fanatic's dream. I was obsessed with the Spice Girls and landed a job as a music editor. I was living my dream, meeting the band, and even got to judge the Brit Awards, which, for a short while, they dominated."
"But the dream faded after summer. The relentless gray skies and cold were a brutal shock after a lifetime of African sun. I realized seasonal depression is real and that sometimes, you can be too young for such a drastic change. I quit after seven months. It became clear that a glamorous career doesn't always equate to a livable environment."
An expat left South Africa after feeling unfulfilled and anxious about crime and professional limits. At 23, a move to London on a two-year working holiday visa led to music-editing highs but seasonal depression and cold prompted departure after seven months. Later editorial roles took him to Dubai, followed by long stints in Singapore and Hong Kong. Visas, cultural barriers, and bureaucracy created recurring challenges for working abroad. A night bus through rural Thailand in 2014 crystallized the need to move overseas. After twenty years across three continents, Bangkok proved the easiest city to work in.
Read at Business Insider
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