Two years ago I immigrated to Portugal by myself. It was the most terrifying and exited thing I ever did! But as it turns out, it was the best decision of my life.
Hi all!
My name is Natasja, I was born and raised in the Netherlands. When I was 27 I was stuck in life, I had finished two studies, but couldn't find a job in those fields. So I ended up doing the most boring form of data entry. I put data in an excel sheet, send it over to someone so that they could insert it in the system, after which I would check if they inserted it correctly. Why not insert it yourself, you ask? Nobody knows.
At this company I would not get a permanent position, so basicly they told me "you have 3 months to find another job, may the odds be ever in your favor".
Of course this new job would also be with a temporary contract, it would take years for me to get a permanent position, if I would even get it at all at that next company.
Without a permanent position, I could not buy a house. So the regular "study - get a job - buy a house - get a dog - live long and be happy"-thing was postponed for me.
I started counting...
Best cased scenario: I win the lottery tomorrow! Oh wait, I don't play the lottery.
Second best case scenario: I find a rich guy and he falls in love with me!
Worst case scenario: It takes me at least another 3 years before I can make the next step in my life.
Now don't get me wrong, my life wasn't bad, I was not complaining at all. Just ready for the next step. Was I willing to spend another day of my life, the same way I already did for 3 years? Was I willing to wait for life to just flow by me?
Hell no! I wanted to be in control of my life. I wanted to actually do something I love. I wanted to travel and explore the world, meet new people and do something exiting.
Well, mission accomplished! I now live in Lisbon, Portugal, the most exiting and diverse city I have ever been. It's sunny every day, the beach is only 30 minutes away and you can see something beautiful everywhere you look. I have made a ton of new friends, and above all, I found the love of my life!
