I Did Something Fun (And Scary)
At the beginning of the pandemic, my company opened the possibility to work from abroad for a short period of time. A few weeks later, they cancelled the program due to the severity of the virus and the national lockdown.
About a couple of months ago, they opened the program again. Countries are slowly reopening and the number of cases and deaths is slowly decreasing, but we will continue working from home for a few more months. This makes the present moment the ideal time to be able to work from abroad.
Being away for a month sounded like the most exciting experience to have, especially after being trapped in the house for so long.
I love travelling around Europe. Every time I visit a new city, I like to imagine how life must feel in there: the coffee places I would become a regular in?… The supermarkets I would frequent?… The foods I would incorporate into my diet…
However, I was also terrified. My mind was drowned by a multitude of “What ifs”. “What if I get lost all the time?” “What if I don’t feel safe?” “What If I get bored/ill? What if I don’t like the place?”
As a teenager, I became the most independent person I knew. I found joy in solitude. I would take pleasure doing things by myself (only child special treat). I was adventurous and unafraid of possible outcomes.
After years of living with my boyfriend, that side of me was slightly fading. I love travelling with him and having dinner together every night. Watching a movie before going to sleep is our daily ritual, and I love it.
I was scared of finding a real change in my personality. The loss of one of the qualities I have always felt more proud of: feeling comfortable with myself.
I was scared that my own company wouldn’t feel so enjoyable after all this time. But the idea of missing this opportunity felt like a failure to me because I would be missing this opportunity for a bad reason: FEAR.
Everyone has fears, but the way we live with them shapes who we are and who we become.
Now, there are two different types of fear when it comes to experiences:
Fear of doing something that doesn’t interest you, for example, Parachuting. I have never understood the idea of throwing yourself from a cliff.
And then, there is the type of fear of doing something that inspires you. That was my case. I was excited, and I knew that the fears making me doubt this decision were not just lower than my level of excitement, but those evil fears making me doubt were also insecurity-based.
The experience of spending time working from another country by myself felt like the right thing to do because It felt exciting. So I decided to get out of my comfort zone and do it.
Even though I am vaccinated, many of the countries that I had in mind for this adventure are currently closed to UK residents.
I found this the wrong way. My first thought was spending a month in Budapest. The last time I visited Hungary I couldn’t help but fall in love with the lifestyle and architecture of the city. I loved the weather in summer and the variety of international restaurants. Also, having been there before, I knew how to use the transport and where to find a Starbucks if I needed some WIFI.
After researching places to stay, I found out It wasn’t a possibility as it was still in lockdown.
I made the same mistake with one more country and realised that, with the current circumstances, the optimum way to do this was to check the best cities for UK residents in Europe.
After I made my decision I sent the “Work From Abroad” Application to my company. A few days later, I was booking a flight to a country I had never been to before.
I recorded a short journey that I took in a car. Can you guess where am I?
18 Comments
Annika
Loved this new post!! I have no idea where you are though (I am from the US so everything looks so different!!!!)
Looks super nice 🙂
Kiira Smith
Wow you are very far away from here! I’m glad you like it, I will post more about this Baltic country soon 😁
Sarah
What a refreshing post, it’s super different to your usual content
I say… somewhere in Denmark!!!
I am excited to see where is it, let us know! 🙂
Kiira Smith
Very close! I am in Estonia. Will be posting more about it 😉
Sophia
I say that you are in Sweden, or perhaps Finland?
Dunno, it just looks very green and relaxed
Kiira Smith
It is very green I feel in heaven! It’s Estonia by the way, pretty close though🙂
Lara
Great read, really good
Copenhagen perhaps?
Kiira Smith
Thank you Lara🙏 It is Tallinn in Estonia 🙂
John Malone
It’s very intriguing that you are asking people to guess where are you… maybe in Switzerland?
I really liked your article, it was very profound. Really enjoy this type of content from you
Kiira Smith
I am glad you guys like it, it is Estonia 🇪🇪 I will be posting more about it 😊
Karen
I think that solo traveling is super good, you learn so much about yourself
I think that you are or Latvia or Estonia? Can’t decide!
Kiira Smith
Karen you nailed it, it is Estonia 🇪🇪 Solo travel it’s been incredibly therapeutic for me I recommend it to everyone 🧳
Taryn
Loved the video 🙂
Dunno where can you be but I want to know!
Kiira Smith
I’m glad you like it💙It’s Estonia!
Jamie
Really happy that you ventured into this experience!
I think that you are somewhere in Estonia (Tallinn?), because there are a lot of Bolt scooters. I think I got it right!!!! hahaha
Kiira Smith
Thank you Jamie and Yes you got it right it’s Tallinn! Bolt scooters are the best public transport 🛴
Kat
Great post (really liked the video, would love to see more stuff like that:)
I will be cheeky and copy other people that have replied already, and say that you are in Denmark , I have no idea 🙁
Kiira Smith
I will be posting more videos about this city and the country is Estonia 🇪🇪. Glad you like it ☺️