We moved! Yes! We finally did it! From land of opportunities – America to the land of poets and thinkers – Germany! After months of planning..decisions..thinking and then re-thinking..then dropping the idea and then finally packing our bags to move, the last few months have been a roller coaster ride.

We feel that actual moving itself was a lot less stressful than the decision of moving out of a country where we had lived for the last decade. We had many moments of doubt and uncertainty and moments when we were simply afraid of taking the plunge. It was not an easy decision in any way.

Afterall, USA was the country where we first met, got our first paycheck, planned our first trip together and created unforgettable moments. We both had successful careers, close friends, our lovely family and most of all a sense of comfort and familiarity. It was difficult to imagine a different life elsewhere, let alone outside the country we have known for last 10 years.

“Then what happened? Why did you move?” many folks asked us and still ask us. Honestly there was never a reason to move, there were several. From our perspective, in last 2-3 years, the overall vibe of USA has dramatically changed. It had just been uncomfortable living in an environment where violence and racism was slowly becoming a norm. There were times when safety became an issue in a place we had been living and loving for years.

Immigration laws, which we feel are an absolute need of the hour, are doing more harm than good for those who deserve it. The uncertainty of whether or not you will be able to work in the coming years is decided not by your hard work or talent but by a person who doesn’t know your history and has as much a time to make the decision as it takes to read a billboard. We were lucky to have visa to last another 3 years, but didn’t know how long this luck would last.

The bigger question due to visa uncertainty was travel! There were countless opportunities we missed because we simply couldn’t travel due to stamping of work visa. There were even more times when we knew that number of vacation days were simply not enough. We were not ready to quit our jobs yet to travel full time and until then we were dependent on 15 vacation days a year which is barely enough to do the “touristy” things anywhere let alone learn about the culture, history and most importantly cuisine of a new place.

Let’s not forget, US is not close to most of the world, and travel can easily take 10+ hours to some of the most coveted destinations, including India. Being closer to our parents in India is what we call the “super bonus” of this move. In addition, It’s so much easier to travel to amazing places within Europe and outside alike. This move opens up so many wonderful opportunities for us to travel and really explore all the places that we had only seen in pictures so far and quietly added to our bucket list hoping to make it there one day. That day has finally come. Also… 30+ vacation days a year doesn’t hurt either! 🙂

We know there are many people contemplating a move out of their current home, many who are planning a long trip away from home and many who are simply planning on taking an unpopular decision. We have received several queries from friends, family and even strangers about “how” we decided it was the time to move. Honestly, there is never a good time and never a bad one and you know what, if not now, then when? Why not take a risk? Why not live a little? Why not take a step out of the “comfort zone” and expand the definition of it?

Who knows we may move again, maybe we’ll go back to US or India or a totally new place, but that’s way beyond our sight and too far in the future. So for now we are ready to make Munich our new home! Go ahead make a move, whether it’s temporary or permanent, long or short, outside your home or country, but give it a try, change is indeed fantastic!