Why are British or French citizens living abroad called expats, but Eastern Europeans are immigrants?
People say that when Eastern Europeans go West, we can expect to be treated contemptuously. We come from the East, the Balkans, the uncivilized part of Europe. We should try to assimilate into the local culture to fit in and appear more civilized.
They say Eastern European girls are gold-diggers who must be looking for a Western man with money. Our culture is described as hostile and violent, and so are our men.
The world doesn’t seem excited to learn about and embrace Eastern European culture. And for many of us it’s scary to move out of our Slavic comfort zone (full of yoghurt, sun and the biggest, juiciest watermelons you’ll ever see).
Some are brave and do it as soon as they graduate. Others wait a few years to master their English and get a degree. Either way, if you are from Eastern Europe and you are thinking about making the move and leaving your home country, this is the page for you.
I believe that every single person should, at some point in their life, try living abroad – not on holiday but a proper time abroad – living, grocery shopping, working, studying, figuring out how things are.
As an Eastern European, I grew up being told I’ve got to learn languages and look for opportunities abroad. At 20 I decided to step through one of these doors and moved to Germany. Then a few years later, I moved to Ireland. In between I’ve travelled around some more and re-discovered my Bulgarian < Balkan < Eastern European < world citizen < transcultural identity.
I’d like to share what I have learnt along the way and maybe help the next generation of Eastern Europeans seeking to move abroad, to find work or study programs, to improve their English and polish their accents… *no pun intended*
Take a look around my blog and follow me for your (bi-)weekly dose of travel inspiration, tips and experiences, and authentic curiosity about life, traveling and education.
And if you’re from Eastern Europe and have a ‘living abroad’ story to tell, please get in touch with me.
Katya Abroad 
Hi Kate – what a great blog you have here, a very goos resource.
Thanks so much for following our blog. I hope you enjoy the stories of our journey, both inner and outer.
Cheers, and happy travels,
Alison
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thanks for the kind words :)
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Hi, there!
I’m Jane and am an avid reader and blogger, a passion which I think we share. I’ve been writing contents on the web professionally since 2010. I share my experience through articles on Travel, Culture, History, Lifestyle and many more.
Your blog “travelingfolk.com” is probably one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen recently and with due reason. I was wondering if I could do a guest post for your blog.
I would like to write on “World Famous Natural wonders in Australia” or any other suggested topic for your blog.
It would be an honor to see my article published on your site.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Jane Roberts.
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Amazing blog! I just followed I’m trying to do something with a somewhat similar concept, where I mostly give tips to students studying abroad looking to go on affordable side trips on long weekends/time off. do you have any advise on how to get it going? Your blog is a tremendous success and I would deeply appreciate any insight you have into travel blogging.
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Hi! Thanks for taking the time to write to me. I’m happy you enjoy my blog. :)
I am a bit of an improviser, so I just set it up and began writing about the topics I feel strongly for. My advice would be utilize various channels online: twitter, pinterest, instagram, facebook – share as much as you can, whilst trying not to spam too much^^.
We could do a collaboration too if that’s something you’d be interested in.
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Thanks! That sounds like really good advice. Collaborating would be amazing! :)
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usskate1701(at)live(dot)com :) I’d be happy to hear from you.
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