For those who don’t know, I used to study at a university in Taipei, Taiwan. My major was Global Financial Management. I chose it because I thought it was a practical major and when I graduate, it would be easy to find a job.
During the first year, I was very excited about the whole university life. I studied as well as partied a lot. I passed all of my grades. I have met a lot of amazing people. I had a blast. But until the second year, I started failing my classes and was notified by one of my professors that if I don’t pass my classes, I might get kicked out of school. I was terrified and started to doubt myself if I can finish my degree.
I was sitting alone in my little studio crying because I didn’t know what to do. I could not tell my parents, because they would be disappointed. I could not tell my friends, because it is embarrassing. I told my parents that everything was fine, my grades were good…. I sat down quietly and realized I had been ignoring the most important reason. I HATE MY MAJOR!!! I didn’t enjoy most of my classes. I have no interest in any one of them. I thought, what am I doing? What if I “somehow” graduated, am I going to work in something I hate?? I was depressed, sad, and lost.
So I decided to find other alternatives. I started looking for language schools. My goal is to speak 5 languages before I’m 30. I was looking into learning Hindi in Mumbai and was figuring out what I actually want to study at university.
Just 4 months before the summer holidays started. A friend of a friend told me about Buenos Aires, Argentina. He said it is a beautiful city and very affordable to live in. Also, Universidad de Buenos Aires offers Spanish classes. When my Spanish is at a high enough level, I can enroll in UBA and study there for free. After hearing it and doing a bit more research, I was sold. But the hardest part was to tell my parents that I was dropping out. Luckily they are very understanding and let me venture out into the world.
After that, I started looking into flights from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires. Boy oh boy, IT’S FAR!! I ended up flying from Hong Kong to Sydney → Sydney to Auckland → stayed in Auckland for a week → from Auckland to Buenos Aires.
And this is how I end up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m still living here! It’s been a year and a half. The best decision I have made. I am a lot happier here than I was before. Started working online and learning Spanish.
I know that there are tons of people struggling to figure out what they want to do in life or just the next couple of years. I would say, go with the flow. Don’t push yourself to do something you hate or are not interested in. Life is too short, try to experiment and take a different path. Don’t just follow what society wants. Take the first step. That might lead you to a happier life or do something you actually enjoy and are proud of. You never know until you do it.
Thank you for reading.