Guest Post: The Pros and Cons of Nomadic Life

Thanks to Expats in Italy and the blogosphere I have met some incredible people through the years. One of them whom I still haven’t met in real life (come May!) but feel like I’ve known forever is Tina. Tina is a passionate tanguera with the most beautiful of souls, and she is a great inspiration in my life. When she asked me if she could do a guest post on my blog (“I know you’re not actually in Italy but… you are!  ;-) “, she wrote) I was very honored. Ladies and gentlemen, meet my kindred gypsy soul. Meet Tina.  

The Pros and Cons of Nomadic Life

I’m a self-proclaimed nomad. A gypsy soul. A perpetual expat. It all started when I moved abroad 8 years ago to Switzerland. Italy followed, then Argentina. Seattle always found itself in between. Now I’m in Italy again. My goal is to stay put this time.
Luckily, Italy’s geographic location makes it possible to explore new lands for short stints at a time, and I’m hoping this will satisfy me.

In any case, this is the kind of thing I had always wanted to do. So many friends, when I was younger, would come home after a year abroad and I would feel so envious. Why couldn’t I do that? I finally decided to stop asking that question, and I went for it. Thus began my nomadic life. It’s been an amazing experience, but it’s not always easy.  A nomadic lifestyle comes with its pros and cons.

Pro: Friends.
I have met some amazing people the past eight years, and I have friends all over the world now. They have enriched my life in one way or another, they are all attached to great memories and I know I’ll always have a place to stay if I visit.

Con: Missing people.
The problem with moving is that you’re always going to miss someone. For every time you say “hello”, you have to say “good bye”. This can be heartbreaking. Thanks to the internet I’ve been able to stay in touch with most people, but it’s never quite the same.

Pro: Language skills.
While I didn’t master Swiss German while in Switzerland, my previous time living in Italy caused my level of Italian to go through the roof.. Living in Argentina, I was totally immersed in Spanish, and my Italian skills helped me navigate the language. A year later I was fluent. I now work in both Italian and Spanish. Had I not lived abroad, I’m not sure how well I’d be able to do that.

Con: Not being able to express yourself often.
No matter how well you speak the local language, nothing can compare to being able to openly confide in your native tongue. Sympathy and love know no barriers, and friends can help in any language, but sometimes you just need to vent at your own speed, with your own slang.

I’ll end this with a pro: Personal growth.
All the struggles and triumphs included in living abroad are also life lessons. We grow stronger and wiser with time and personal experience. We begin to understand the world from another point of view. We relax. And we look forward to more.

- Tina Ferrari is a translator, writer and tango dancer based in Perugia, Italy. She writes at AffordableCallingCards.net, where you can buy prepaid calling cards to Italy, as well as on her own blog, Tina Tangos. Comments are always welcome!