Amelia's Top Ten Reasons To Live Abroad

1. Two words: Passport stamps. Which, is harder as the darn EU gives just one for coming in and one for leaving. So I have been to the Netherlands twice, and have no stamp. I have entered Germany six times and have 3 stamps. I have been in the Reykjavik-Keflavik International airport for 45 minutes, and have a stamp (from Iceland in case no one realized that). 
2. So if you can't get stamps, other souvenirs. And not just the magnets and tote bags:
• I have a small lego man dressed in Lederhosen. 
• I have a hand carved lizard from the Australian outback. 
• I have a small, Dutch penchant about cheese, that has a hole in it so its on my key chain.
3. And the souvenirs that many people won't notice:
• I learned how to paint with a pallet knife in Germany. 
• German makeup is way better.
• I found a bunch of really cool (and mostly English) songs that have never made it to the US. 
4. Your Facebook albums and Instagram look way cooler. 
• Millions of photos of Dutch tulips?
• Selfies next to 1000 year old churches?
• Tagging locations such as "London Bridge", "Amsterdam Centraal Main Station", and "Duck Pond in Germany".
5. You appreciate the little things your wonderful Home has:
• Girl Scout Cookies
• Crunchy Cheetos
• Cash back at registers
• Free bathrooms
• Free wifi
• Free wifi
• Free ketchup at McDonalds
• Free wifi
6. You meet new friends. This one is pretty obvious, if you are even the slightest bit social. But what has been great for me is that I have met friends who are in similar situations as me, either learning German, are other au pairs, other Americans in Germany, or all of the above. And you meet people from all over the world, which has greatly enhanced my worldview (thank you Whitworth). Hearing stories from peoples lives in Spain, Poland, Sweden, Texas (it is its own country, come on) has not only added to my wanderlust, but has made me realize that we are all so different, but at the core, are really the same. My Dutch friend may of grown up riding a bike everywhere, and once (or twice) actually wore wooden shoes, but we both love weird humor, our host kids, and have many matching views on politics and life. My friend from Spain may have seen less snow than me in our lives, speak more languages than me, and actually sell her art for money, but we did unknowingly buy the exact same dress. Things I have learned that are (or seem to be) universal:
• McDonalds is cheap food on the run, that is easy to order in any language. 
• A cup of coffee (or other hot beverage) can start any conversation. 
• Just about everyone has seen at least one episode of Friends. 
• People associate Seattle with Twilight. (sadness). 
• Obama is seen as a cool dude (despite your political standings). 
• No matter how much people hate on America, saying we get into crap wars and have a horrible education system, everyone wants to visit. (Mainly New York, Miami, and Las Vegas. Although I believe I have convinced a number of foreigners to see San Francisco). 
7. Independence. Sure, living in dorms give you independence. And then moving into an apartment with friends, then moving into a house with friends, then moving into an apartment or house alone. All independence. But living on the other side of the world, where not only are your parents not around but they are sleeping as there is a 9 hour time difference. You may not do your own laundry, but you have to figure out how to get around by bus, train, car, bike. Pay bills in a new land and language. Its like early adult life, but explained in gibberish. 
8. Being alone. This can be good. Even for extroverts. But for introverts like me, its heaven. In Germany I have felt really alone, sometimes to the point of becoming slightly depressed. But then I reveled in it. I can walk through a crowd, and the idea that everyone around me doesn't know my background, or nationality is freeing. Before I could eavesdrop in German, riding trains or buses, or waiting for such transport, made me feel like I was on Mars (but with Germans). But it was kind of fun. It was a puzzle to get myself from point A to point B, and if need be to wander about in my fragmented German to ask for help. 
9. Learning a new language. Its odd. Its really weird, to wake up and realize I dreamt in German. Or when I throw a German word into an English sentence and don't realize it. Or when I immediately respond to someone in German, without the usual preceding English thought. Or when I realized I was able to eavesdrop. Or talk to strangers. Order food. Buy things off of German Amazon. Read the newspaper. And when I started to understand about 2% of Dutch, as its fairly similar to German (reading mind you, I can only speak one word, the word for thank you, and I understand about 0.2% of Dutch I hear being spoken). When I started to be able to pick out different languages in a crowd. Dutch, Spanish, French, Russian, and that one is a strong Bavarian accent.
10. And the number one reason to live abroad? So you don't regret not doing it. My sisters and I are often told we are so lucky to be able to travel. We are not lucky, we work hard to be able to live out our dreams. And so can anyone. If I can get myself to Germany on one summer of making milkshakes in Colfax, so can you. Go watch the movie Up for more inspiration. 

You might drain your bank account. You might rip your favorite jeans. You might nearly throw up when trying a weird meatball recipe. You might nearly pee your pants as you don't have enough money for the bathroom. You may get lost and take the wrong train. You might stumble upon a castle. You might fall in love. You might find a candy better tasting than M&Ms. You may become addicted to sending postcards. You might become infected with the travel bug. 

But as my Grandpa once said, in referring to me moving to Germany, "This will be good. This will be good for you."

And at the end of the day.

Why not?