Every evening. Every god damn evening. When the sun starts to set, they appear. In downtown. Descending from the mountains. They want to escape from where the boxed brick houses don´t have windows. From where anguish and poverty surrounds all. From where human life costs less than a penny. And by the fall of darkness, they flood the streets of Rio de Janeiro. On every corner. Lurking for you.
Fears – those monsters, that stem from the stories we have heard and from the thoughts that swirl in our head, they ambush and limit our actions. Everywhere. Not only on the streets of the infamously criminal metropolis Rio de Janeiro. They clamp down on us also at home, while sitting on the couch. They stop us, make excuses, and drawing their efficiency from the countless millenniums of evolutionary development, keep us very effectively in our comfort zone. Since outside our comfort zone is where the danger lies. To our life. To our livelihood.
Even a thought of moving abroad causes great doubts, hesitations and fears in many. But we must walk that road in spite of fear. It will expand our world. We will come back stronger, more independent and more aware. Development only happens outside of our comfort zone. Life abroad is always a life outside of our comfort zone. Moreover, we can decide ourselves how far out we are prepared to wander. I suggest you to move fast and as far as your feet can carry. Because this is where the biggest victories await.
This book is about how to take the maximum out of our time as an expatriate. How to learn and blossom in new cultural settings. How to take advantage of unfamiliar environment to improve ourselves. It’s a book about my own experiences from moving, living and deciphering lessons during expatriation from North-Europe to Brazil. By incorporating traditional psychology, neuroscience and beliefs of successful people, I quest out to interpret everyday occurrences. You can take it as a travel book, or a bit more scientific approach to a travel book, or self-help book. Take it just the way, as it speaks to you. All I hope, is that this book will inspire you to travel, develop, think and overcome your fears.