3 Learnings From Moving Across the World... Again!
Chantelle smiling at the camera kneeling on a leopard print towel on the beach in an adorable yellow bikini
When opportunity knocks: you answer…
Usually, people have these big moves planned a long time in advance and it's a goal that is worked towards. Our experience is slightly different because an opportunity came knocking.
It has been about a year that Hayden and I were talking about leaving Berlin. Our reasons were, it wasn't close to an ocean (the lakes don't cut it for us Aussies), the weather, the darkness and did I mention not being close to the ocean? The ocean is a big source of nourishment and connection for us so we were discussing Portugal or Spain.
I was rooting for Barcelona because I wanted to pick up my Spanish again and we had starting looking into the requirements and flats etc. when an opportunity fell into Hayden's lap.
1.Follow opportunities
Hayden is a creative, he is a branding genius, graphic designer and art director. He also loves working with people and is an incredible leader (can you tell I'm his biggest fan?!). Whilst we were in Greece (by the ocean) he had a second interview for a fashion re-commerce brand. AirRobe are doing incredible things in the fashion world making it easier for people to re-sell and lease their clothing in order to encourage the circular economy and increase sustainability efforts in the fashion industry.
I digress, naturally this company see his skillset and interview him and are impressed (ofc) and so they offer him a Founding Member position as Creative Director. This is huge for Hayden and something he has been working towards for years. His path, like mine, has been a wiggly zigzag with much uncertainty rather than a straight line of career progression but this felt right for him.
He was aware that we would have to move for this job. I was aware we would have to move for this job and as soon as he accepted I said 'so when are we moving?'
2. Feel the fear, but don't let it stop you
The thing with Hayden and I is that we back each other, 100%. I trust him with my heart and head. PLUS, I was ready for another adventure. If I didn't want to leave Berlin, we would have tried long distance to make it work but instead I thought - WHY NOT!
Disclaimer: I understand that this isn’t so easy for everyone. I work for myself. I am my business. I work with organisations and individuals across the world already so it doesn’t actually matter where I am (as long as I have an internet connection)!
The next question was where to? It was a short convo.
The company specified EST so I saw my chance at Spanish and threw Mexico on the table.
Mexico incoming!
Now, you might have seen in my IG post that our move to Mexico has not been the smoothest…
I got the flu and was bed ridden for a whole week.
Our accommodation turned out to be a mess (check out the IG post for more deets).
To be honest, we didn't have the capacity to do in depth research for Mexico because we were too wrapped up in packing up our 3.5 years of life in Berlin in a short two months! I had been to Mexico 6 years prior and remembered Playa del Carmen to be the wild party place and Tulum to be this peaceful place of yoga and underdeveloped goodness. That was certainly NOT the case!
We had booked to stay in Tulum in an amazing apartment for a month through AirBnb. Prior to arriving we had confirmed a) there was no construction nearby (Tulum is under HUGE development right now) and b) that it was not a ‘party complex’. Turns out, both were true of the apartment so we were listening to jack hammers by day and boozy buttheads at night. We experienced multiple nights of raging parties starting at 1:30am - 8am all on our floor in neighbouring rooms. It wasn't what we signed up for.
We packed our bags, found another accommodation and left. We risked losing a lot of money but we were miserable there. Plus, the rest of Tulum wasn't enough to captivate us either, the beaches are stunning but unfortunately that's not enough for a place to be deemed liveable. Unpopular opinion and very different to what you see on IG and blog posts but Tulum wasn't for us.
3. You usually have more choices than you think.
It's been a rocky-ish start but now I am enjoying every morning at the beach, fresh fruit GALORE, beautiful food and immersing myself in a language I adore. My biggest learnings form this experience is that:
Follow opportunities; it’s okay to change the plan.
Feel the fear but don't let it stop you; you are capable.
You usually have more choices than you think; if something isn't working it's okay to give up and choose a different path.
If you have any tips for Quintana Roo, Mexico, get in touch and sign up to my newsletter below!
As always, stay curious my dears.
