I remember it was the year 2005 when I was in my standard 4th when I had first dreamed about living a life abroad.
Like every other kid in India, it was and still is my dream to explore many more countries, live many more lives, and experience the essence of different cultures, care, and love it offers.
Hi all, how are you? I am Neeraj Malviya , your friend and I am no special, I am just like you, figuring out basic methods to live a life of abundance and prosperity.
In today’s blog, I will be talking about what things pushed me to make a decision and move to Dubai and will be sharing my personal experiences on living as an expat in my upcoming blogs.
We will uncover how life abroad is portrayed and how it is in reality!
But before that, I want to take you all a little back in time where everything started…
1. The Early Phase
It’s a saying that to do anything in life there should be a triggering point.
A place or situation that pushes you to go beyond where you are today and something similar happened to me as well.
When I was young I was told this story that my grandpa ( mom’s father ) who was in his teenage had borrowed an Oxford dictionary from his friend and learned English by himself.
In the early 70s, educational institutes were not enough especially in our village Veerwara ( Rajasthan, India ) and my grandpa being the eldest son of the family, the responsibilities never allowed him to pursue ahead but those same responsibilities pushed my grandpa to explore beyond boundaries and within 2 years he made it too abroad.
He is the very first person in our family who made it outside of India and helped many others from the village to accomplish their abroad dreams.
Not to flex but my grandpa was the only person in his village who owned a 3-floor house with 10 rooms and an XUV and because of his efforts and sacrifices we as his grandchildren always felt proud of him.
His story has always motivated and inspired me to fly horizons and work so hard that it becomes an example for many others.
2. Indian Cinema Influence
Like every other kid, I am too very much fond of movies.
More than the storyline, I have always been excited to see how they portray the beautiful sceneries and show clean as-glass skyscrapers reaching the sky very high.
Bollywood has always been a gem in finding beautiful spots and filming legendary songs adding to Indian music heritage.
I have always been fond of learning about different places, and their culture, experiencing how it feels like to live around them, and adapting to the cultural shift.
It always felt amazing to travel the world through that small electronic box called television in the early 20s.
3. Social Proof Around
We as humans tend to validate what we see. If a person is smiling, we assume they are happy and if not then it’s quite the obvious.
If the person has a big house, a good decent car, and a healthy family, well what else does a person need?
Just like that when I was growing up and entering my teenage, I was consciously observing what is that thing that differentiates a person from the crowd.
Is it the character or the way we treat people?
Is it a big house or a lavish car?
What should I do, that can help me create my identity that will help me stand out and do good in life…
Do you see the hunger? Do you see the curiosity?
It is that which got me and many others where they are today!
By the time I entered junior college, I had seen my own family, both from my father's and mom's sides and it was quite clear to me that I had to make a choice that would have its own consequences.
4. The Engineering Days
There was a time in India when engineering was considered the most elite profession in society development, or I would say the highest degree an individual can have to be seen respectfully and live a decent life.
But as time flew there was a spike in the number of engineering institutions that led to a huge supply and opportunities for students but at the cost of poor-quality professors, syllabi from ancient times, and a more theoretical approach rather than practical.
Lakhs of students including me got into this vicious cycle that kept me engaged for 4 years challenged my inner core and pushed me to not believe in bigger things.
You may find it funny but no matter what degree you pursue in engineering, during your final year if you need a job, there are only IT companies that will hire you.
Imagine you studied cars for 4 years and then for the rest of your life you end up programming software that takes care of stocks, crazy isn’t it?
Harsh but it was and still is the reality.
It’s a saying that Engineers first do engineering and later they decide what they have to do in their life as a career!
I was not interested in being a part of this rat race and chose to pursue Digital Marketing on my own and educate myself.
Now I am an IT Engineer and a Digital Marketer with a career of 5+ Years experience in Digital Marketing and I am loving it 😁
5. A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
Have you heard of Angels? Have you seen them for real?
Let me introduce you all to my old colleague, my great friend Jayesh who inspired me to make my dreams turn into reality.
You know it’s very rare when you meet some people and they become the best things that ever happened to you.
If today I am here, living the 1% of my dream, I am wholeheartedly grateful to him for guiding me and showing me the right things to do and take a leap in my career.
Conclusion:
So, you see how it went.
Right from my childhood till my teenage and to date I have been manifesting this day and proudly sharing my reality with you all.
Many things play a crucial role in moving abroad and in my upcoming blogs on Living the Expat Life - Reality v/s Expectations I will be going more and deeper on the topic and sharing more insights that will hopefully guide you all and give a beacon of hope and clarity to pursue your abroad dream!
Cheers. Love you all. Peace ☮️
Dieu vous protège 😊
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For the first-time readers who are new to my blog,
Hey, I am Neeraj Malviya, and I like to talk about what life offered me and how I used my mindset as my shield to live my dream as my present.
My purpose is to introduce different ways to be happy in your life through my blogs.
Connect with me on my Instagram @mr.neerajmalviya (800+ Post)