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Losing a Job and Traveling Abroad
Making the decision to live and work abroad for many people is an option worth considering but for many Americans its a foreign concept. From the country with a extremely harsh work ethic that evolves around less than a 1/2 month’s of paid-time off in a calendar year, requesting extra time or deciding to take a leave of absence for 2-6 months is perceived as a ‘dead sentence.’ Similarly, when contracts end or we lose our job, its hard to think about anything else than ‘I need to get another job’ primarily to pay for all the bills.
In reality, if you lose your job because you’re contract ends you are eligible for unemployment benefits. Although getting laid off or fired is a more challenging situation, it isn’t the end of the world. The most important thing to remember is to live within your means especially if you haven’t save a single dime. So after I decided to take some more time “off” before finding another job, I thought get the most rewarding experience traveling abroad that would also give me a chance to improve skills to use for future jobs. Without too much research, I made plans to volunteer in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Why? First off, I have been to BsAs once before for a brief holiday (1 wk) and I knew I wanted to come back. That was seven years ago, so now was better than never. Second, they speak Spanish. I’ve wanted to improve my conversational Spanish for the last three years - since graduating college. And lastly, being a volunteer would a) give me an authentic experience working in impoverished communities, b) work in my field of interest, and b) give me the opportunity to sharpen my communications skills (blogging, writing, editing, social media, etc).
It might be scary to think this way but you need to decide if you want to live someone else’s life or your own. If its the later then wake up and start living it! For more words of encouragement, inspiration, and advocating this new lifestyle, check out “The Art of Non-Conformity” blog.