Can I hear some stories?? Relocating by oneself... (jobs, quality of life, college)

[lilacjamila]

Can anyone share a story, preferably a positive one, about picking up and leaving your hometown without your family, and how your life turned out the better for it. I've been battling an inner pull to leave my hometown where 85% of my maternal and paternal family lives. It's been nagging for the past 2 years, and I feel very dissatisfied on many levels. I'm 27 in NYC.

I feel on an intrinsic level that here is not where I belong, and that I won't have the life I desire if I stay here. The only thing is I am very close to my family and no one else wants to leave with me. I have a very close immediate family, and a large network of cousins and aunts, etc., however, I still want to leave badly. I'm afraid that if I don't branch out now while still single and childless, I'll only live in this one place for my life, and that is so not what I want.

So again, has anyone despite being rooted on a familial level, uprooted themselves and followed a desire to live elsewhere..far..far away? How was the experience?

TIA!!

[cedew]

Sadly I have no story for you, but as a 34yo who has been in the same town for 29 years, DO IT.

[Gessa]

I have lived in a number of countries, originally from UK. All moves by myself. Some countries ie Greece, Italy, have been better then others, ie Switzerland. It all depends on job, your own personality, the place itself.

And, after all, if you dont like it you can always move back or move on.

[slowes]

I have done this several times. I honestly think it all depends on how easily you make friends, how open you are to adjusting to a different lifestyle, and your attitude going into it. I, myself like a challenge and it is kind of fun to re-invent yourself.

Leaving family is horribly hard, esp when you are close. But, we now have picture phones, and webcams to keep in touch. We had no such thing when I was moving around. It was tough!

You are young once, do it while you are young.

Do you think you will regret it, if you don't at least try it?

And like the above poster said, it is easy enough to move back.

[filihok]

Was ending a great job. Had a decision to make between moving away from the city I had lived in for 20 years or take another great job.

Decided to take the job.

On my way to work the first day I had knots in my stomach and knew I had made the wrong decision. I drove past my work, called and said that I wouldn't be able to work there.

A month later I moved to Washington DC.

Three years later I've met an amazing woman and I've traveled to places in the world I never would have traveled otherwise.

You'll never see the whole world if you spend your whole life in one place.

[UnusualSuspect]

Three years ago I was a college graduate living with my parents and working a part-time job. One day I packed up and moved halfway across the country to Seattle. I didn't have any plans, and it took me about a year of jobs I didn't really like, but I found a fantastic job that pays more than enough. And, I'm in a beautiful city with tons of stuff to do, the weather is usually nice, and I've made some great friends. (I do have plenty of complaints about Seattle, but all in all, things worked out really, really well.)

All that said, I'm moving at the end of the year to be closer to my family.

[5thIndian]

I did this 30 years ago but then came back because I missed family. My advise is to try to choose well and stay a year longer when you get those yearnings for the homeland (meaning give it time). I do not regret my past decisions, especially when the time here has meant 3 wonderful additions to my family (my kids), but I do wonder if I should've caved in and returned here. Ya gotta go with your heart and be brave!! On the other hand, I do feel that there is nothing like family. NOTHING. No wonderful vista, thrilling experience or wad of money is better than the giving and receiving of family love. I now have the opp again to "leave" and I am on this site because I am in the planning stages of trying to do it again, but it is MUCH harder when you are older; I won't be doing it without knowing my grown kids may be doing it too.
-Like me and my kids, if you are feeling like the city or city-suburb life of traffic, smog, etc, are not your definition of a quality of life, then, I believe you are like us. We aren't "right" but city life is not for everyone. My grandmother lived in Ireland on the rocky coast and had to move here for survival. In the US she had to live in a city, again for survival. I have always felt that she would approve of finding a higher quality of life, if you can. My 30 year ago experience taught me that it is out there.

[Mercury Cougar]

Originally Posted by lilacjamila

So again, has anyone despite being rooted on a familial level, uprooted themselves and followed a desire to live elsewhere..far..far away? How was the experience?

TIA!!

Oh, do it! You'll have so many worthwhile life experiences if you do. Some of them might be roadblocks, but others will be great experiences. I moved away from my entire family when I was 18. I went almost 3000 miles away. It was really difficult in terms of getting on my feet and such (heck, I was only 18!) but you're a lot older than I was, so you should already have a good handle on how life works.

Look at it this way...if you do it and decide it isn't for you, you can always go back. But later in life you may very well kick yourself again and again if you don't at least TRY it!

[LittleDolphin]

I've moved away from family and had no regrets other than feeling nostalgic during a couple of holidays.

What I've found is that there are two types of 'families.'

One is the family we're related to through birth. Number two is the 'our people' family that we're related to through a kindred spirit connection and relationship.

All my life I've been searching for that 'our people' connection and never found it until I moved to a congenial location. Now I feel I have true family. My blood family was very different from me in many ways...

[stone-ground]

Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar

Oh, do it! You'll have so many worthwhile life experiences if you do. Some of them might be roadblocks, but others will be great experiences. I moved away from my entire family when I was 18. I went almost 3000 miles away. It was really difficult in terms of getting on my feet and such (heck, I was only 18!) but you're a lot older than I was, so you should already have a good handle on how life works.

Look at it this way...if you do it and decide it isn't for you, you can always go back. But later in life you may very well kick yourself again and again if you don't at least TRY it!

Great advice!

You said it yourself, do it while your young, .. because once you get tied down, you tend not to be quite so foot-loose and fancy-free.

Also, being so close to family, .. you'd probably get a lot of visitors.
and as a few above have mentioned, may choose to go back to be near them later on in life.

As we all grow older, so do our families and it's kind of nice being around them more for the latter years.

So go and check out new horizons while you can!