the privilege (and trials) of moving abroad

Wow, it’s been a while! What’s up with me, you ask? Well, I just moved to Matsudo, Japan (just outside of Tokyo), as a part of my university’s sister school internship exchange program! I am helping as a teaching-aid in an ESL (English as a Second Language) environment. This program subsidizes interns’ rent, flights, as well as utilities–which is what particularly drew me to this opportunity. 

Sitting on my 13 hour trans-Pacific flight over here, I began to reflect on the sheer privilege I had to participate in this program. I originate from a country with a very strong passport, meaning my extended-stay visa, although tedious and annoying to obtain, was still drastically easier of a process than if I were to be from 160+ other countries. My best friend, Clarissa, already wrote a stellar blog on so-called “passport privilege”, which you can refer to here! 

Apart from my sheer luck of being born in a country with a strong passport, I found that I exercise certain privileges not available for a majority of the world. After moving out of my student apartment this academic year, my parents let me stay at home rent-free while I worked as a server this summer to save up for my upcoming travels. Not only did I not have to pay rent, but also did not need to worry about groceries, medical bills, or anything not considered an unnecessary purchase. I was not tied down by student or personal loans, and had the ability to save every single dollar that I earned–a privilege found in very few circumstances. 

Financial support, of course, was game-changing in regard to my budget for my semester in Japan, but the social and emotional support from my family and inner-circle to move abroad only solidified my confidence to go. 

I am often asked “How does your family let you travel like this?”, and I always respond “Because I’m an adult..?”. For a while, I was unable to understand how someone’s family could prevent them from spending their own money on an experience abroad. Then I reflected on the fact that I lived abroad alone for the first time when I was 17-years-old. How many parents would have flat-out told their teenager “no” to this? Probably quite a few. 

My parents, although sometimes confused and nervous about my nomadic urges, never steered me from a journey. Every solo-trip, activity, and opportunity was my full autonomous choice–even when I wasn’t an adult yet. Do they agree with all of my travel decisions? Absolutely not. But my solo-travel experience taught me that some of the most amazing life experiences should not be hinged on your family’s approval. 

This segues into another conversation of privilege: healthy familial relationships. My parents' reaction to my unconventional travel style is not described as hostile. I have the ability to remove their approval from my decision-making (of course with exceptions) without an adverse reaction from them. I understand that many are not granted this opportunity, and are sometimes the emotional support for their own parents. I am so very grateful for my “inside thoughts” family, who I know may not approve all the time, but will never get in my way. 

These factors, although very influential on my current position, are not the only things to bring me abroad. Moving abroad also requires initiative. Exiting the belief that things will come to you is of vital importance. Although I cannot deny my privilege, I also must say that these opportunities did not fall in my lap. The behind-the-scenes of a majority of my travels entails months of applications, waiting, hoping, and faith that it will work out. 

My program in Japan specifically required two separate applications (one for UNL, one for the Japanese school), requesting countless documents, essays, and verification that I have the mobility to move abroad. After several months of waiting, I was finally approved and was able to begin the real difficult part: the Japanese visa. 

My experience applying for a Japanese visa was nothing short of exhausting. Firstly, the entire process is done via mail, meaning a majority of the time is spent waiting. Every document must either be printed or scanned and swiftly sent to either the Japanese Consulate of Chicago, or to Japan itself. Mistakes on written applications are rejected and sent back, requiring the applicant to start the entire process again. Since I started my visa paperwork in June for a September departure, mistakes were logistically unacceptable. 

To apply for an extended-stay visa, I had to first apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) proving that I was eligible to even apply. The eligibility is a combination of sponsorship (a Japanese-national assuming the responsibility of my visa application), proof of appropriate financial standing for several months, proof of American citizenship, proof of residency, as well as proof of future employment in Japan.

Upon receiving my certificate after 6 weeks of waiting, I was finally approved to apply for my extended-stay visa. After finishing my paperwork, I was ready to ship it off to the Japanese Consulate of Chicago approximately 2 weeks before my intended arrival date. 

Approval and reception of my visa made it just last minute for me to book my international flight the day before departure, which was definitely not a preferred outcome. 

This process goes to show that my mobility and ability to move abroad is not only the obvious global privilege I possess, but also an initiative in a tedious process that is more often than not stressful and confusing.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunities I have had at just 21 years old, but I must also acknowledge the initiative required for these experiences. I often am asked about how I’m able to do some of the things I do, and it’s pretty difficult to explain. I have a lot of resources available to me to travel internationally (that I cannot deny), but I also had to seek these opportunities out. Nothing about this experience fell into my lap; so I feel that the best advice I can give to others wishing the same for their future is: Stop waiting around for these opportunities to come to you. Find what experiences and opportunities you have available--Domestic or international, one week or one year--find the right chance to see that big world around you, it might just change your life :) .