“Living outside your country opens your mind and makes you a much more empathetic person”
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 6:52 am
Image: Living abroad. Andrea Lowndes, from Brazil to Spain. Adeccorientaempleo
Living abroad is an experience that changes us in many ways, both professionally and personally. Today, in My Suitcase and I, we talk to Andrea Lowndes. At just seven years old, Andrea left her native Rio de Janeiro for the United Kingdom, where she rcs data brazil up personally and professionally alongside her grandparents. She returned to Brazil to work as an Associate in 1990, but ended up spending only a year there: she met her now husband, fell in love with him and decided to follow him to Madrid, where they have raised their daughters, met many friends and live happily.
Why did you decide to leave your city?
The truth is that I didn't decide. When I was seven, my grandparents were living in the UK and my family decided that it was best for me to go and study there. And so I did.
When did you arrive in Madrid?
I came to Madrid because my husband is from here. I was working in Rio de Janeiro at the time, but I fell in love with him and, as it was impossible for him to move to Brazil because he didn't have mobility at work, I was the one who packed my bags and came here.
Was it difficult for you to adapt to your new life?
Yes! It was really hard for me at first, but hey… I was so in love! And that always helps.
What is the best and worst thing about living abroad?
I think that the best thing about living abroad , in a country different from your own, is that it opens your mind and makes you a much more empathetic person. And the worst thing, for me it is obvious: you always miss someone who is far away.
Living abroad is an experience that changes us in many ways, both professionally and personally. Today, in My Suitcase and I, we talk to Andrea Lowndes. At just seven years old, Andrea left her native Rio de Janeiro for the United Kingdom, where she rcs data brazil up personally and professionally alongside her grandparents. She returned to Brazil to work as an Associate in 1990, but ended up spending only a year there: she met her now husband, fell in love with him and decided to follow him to Madrid, where they have raised their daughters, met many friends and live happily.
Why did you decide to leave your city?
The truth is that I didn't decide. When I was seven, my grandparents were living in the UK and my family decided that it was best for me to go and study there. And so I did.
When did you arrive in Madrid?
I came to Madrid because my husband is from here. I was working in Rio de Janeiro at the time, but I fell in love with him and, as it was impossible for him to move to Brazil because he didn't have mobility at work, I was the one who packed my bags and came here.
Was it difficult for you to adapt to your new life?
Yes! It was really hard for me at first, but hey… I was so in love! And that always helps.
What is the best and worst thing about living abroad?
I think that the best thing about living abroad , in a country different from your own, is that it opens your mind and makes you a much more empathetic person. And the worst thing, for me it is obvious: you always miss someone who is far away.