4 Reasons to Consider Living Abroad in 2013
4. You Gain New Skills (Effortlessly)
Let me begin by telling you about my friend Dave, who (correctly) decided when he was around 12 that learning to play the guitar would greatly improve his social standing - and possibly even get him a girlfriend. During Daves first year learning he improved a whole lot (he was still terrible after a year, but friends no longer wanted to beat him over the head with the guitar). Now, at the age of 25, hes pretty good although, admittedly, still single - but hes improved very little during this last year, despite playing as often as he did initially. Thats because the rate at which you learn things decreases exponentially so the time spent honing a well-practised skill might be considered (in a very limited sense) less useful than time spent learning a new skill altogether. Whatever youre good at: playing the guitar, cooking really great pasta or downing a pint of beer in 4 seconds, the skills you possess will indubitably help you make new friends and even get you jobs (maybe not the beer one). With that in mind, its surprising that not more people spend their time trying to learn new skills. A select few do, of course, but others are content to repeat the same activities day after day. 
Moving abroad can help with this. While youre stuck in the same place youve been in all your life, unless you specifically dedicate a lot of time to learning new skills, youre just repeating the same tasks you always have. Your rate of growth is like Dave with the guitar during this last year youre get better at what you do, yes, but its slow. Why not try something different altogether? If you move abroad youll be thrust into a new environment, and youll find yourself learning more and more each day. The most obvious example is language: while true fluency will require some degree of study, its entirely possible to pick up communicative ability just by going to bars, chatting, and being around people speaking the language every day. I hated German class at school, and I probably learnt more during my first week in Berlin than I did in all three years of it. While language is the most obvious skill youll gain, your general knowledge will improve greatly as well, as you become aware of the geography, history and culture of another country. Not convinced yet? Read on.