Greatest Memories: Being an Expat

My happiest memory is when I got my tickets to Germany.  I had thought about moving to Germany and becoming an expat for a very long time, but when I finally decided to do it, it was like having little fireworks go off in my heart.  It was  wonderful.  Then came all of the planning, emptying an apartment, including all of those non-perishable things in the pantry and trying to decide what to stuff in my suitcase and bring with me and what could survive a few years in storage.  This all sounds rather simple, but once you're neck deep in a lifetime of memories, it's just not that simple.  That's one thing in itself, making all of the decisions that land you in a foreign country, but I think the most difficult part of the whole thing is saying good-bye to the ones you love and the surprising thing is that the people you think mean the most to you, won't be there a year after you leave, but the people who you really didn't think about or care for, will be the ones to lend a hand after you've left and need to tie up a few loose ends.  They're the ones who will lend a listening ear and Skype with you in the middle of the night, when they have to work the next day. 
When you leave your comfort zone and move to a country with a language other than your own, you will be challenge beyond your wildest imagination.  Everything you think will be easy will become your worst nightmare.  When you move you'll need to invest in Kleenex, or whatever brand of tissues are popular in your new country because you'll buy enough of them to make the investment a smart decision.  Also, don't fool yourself into thinking that moving to Europe will be easy because the people are also 'westerners'.  Yes, women are free to do as they choose, sex isn't taboo, smoking is normal and people generally share the same customs as Americans, but there are so many little cultural differences that it will make you sprout gray hair in no time.  The little innuendoes that you totally won't get will embarrass you to no end and you'll need to excuse yourself and pull out your Kleenex.  Don't worry though, within a year or two you'll start to feel at home, make friends with the locals and share national holidays and events that don't make sense in the States.  Oh, did I mention enjoy your four weeks of vacation per year? 
My happiest moments, after moving to Germany, are too many to count.  I have found my second home here and would be devastated if I had to leave.  It's still difficult sometimes dealing with government agencies and the occasional hater, but all in all, I wouldn't trade it for anything.  So if you're sitting on the fence about making the leap across the pond I can only tell you to do it.  Yes, there'll be days that you'll regret it, but in the long run, it will change your life forever and it doesn't matter if it's only for a year or even six months.  If you have the chance, take it.