About a year ago I traveled for the first time out of my Country but not just that, I also moved out. While I was a student I worked as a freelance graphic and web designer to finance my studies. Being able to speak English and having internet connection I thought of trying to work online and that’s what I did, it really helped me a lot to get to understand more about life outside of my country, I saw that the world has very much to offer, so I thought one day I will move to see more of the world out there.
A few years later I was working for a company in Kosovo, based in Germany. I know the language so I was welcomed there, but after some time I wanted to move to Germany myself, So I decided to move.
Looking for a job was a little harder than I expected but still OK, the hardest part was finding an apartment, because of my last name people were more hesitant to believe that I know how things work out here. But I still found something.
Moving to a new country where I never was before, was excited but the problem was that I didn’t know anything and I had nothing but my backpack and my smartphone, I knew that google maps has relevant information about the streets and the locations I needed to go to because I didn’t had a place to stay at I had to find airbnb places to stay at until I find some place.
What I learned.
- Knowing to speak the language in Germany is very helpful, but very many people also speak english, which is good. The language though helps so the people feel more familiar with you and it builds trust. Which helped me also to find friends and build more comfort for the people.
- Google maps is your best friend and a life saver. The first thing I had to do when I moved out of the plane was to find the airbnb apartment I booked, to stay the next 3-5 days. So I opened the app and gave in the address I had to go to. Maps told me how to go there in minutes. It also told me where to wait for the bus and which one to take, it showed me how much time it would take me and, where to buy food if I needed some.
- Knowing how to interact with tech is the most important thing I had to learn, lucky enough me as an computer engineer had that skill but it still showed me that everything nowadays works with the tech
- People are very welcoming but also very careful because of course I was a stranger sleeping at their home.
- Everything here works with the phone, web, or mail (actual physical mail). My first tasks were finding an apartment, registering at the city, buying a sim card, getting a new bank account and at the same time somehow going to work.It turned out to be harder than I expected, I could not get a bank account without a local address, and I could not register at the city without a local address. But I could get a phone number, they also asked for the address but the nice lady told me that I can enter it afterwards as well.After finding an apartment, things got smoother.
Moving somewhere else is always hard, challenging yourself to move 1500 Km away from home is even harder. But having the right technology is the most important.
Today 1.5 years later it feels like home and I know almost every corner of Regensburg. As a local guide it’s been interesting to do it and I would always do it again.