I would like to talk about my close friend, Liam, who moved to Japan a few years ago to work as an English teacher. We went to university together, and he had always been fascinated by Japanese culture and history, so when the opportunity came up to teach at a secondary school in Osaka, he jumped at the chance.
Initially, it was not all smooth sailing for him. The language barrier was a massive hurdle because, even though he had studied basic Japanese before leaving, everyday conversational fluency in a fast-paced environment was a completely different ballgame. On top of that, he had to get his head around rather strict workplace etiquette, which was far more hierarchical than what he was used to back home in the UK. Finding a flat and sorting out administrative paperwork without fluent language skills also caused quite a few headaches during his first couple of months.
Despite those initial teething troubles, the experience completely transformed him. Before he left, Liam tended to be quite set in his ways and perhaps a bit hesitant about stepping out of his comfort zone. Living on the other side of the world forced him to become far more resilient, resourceful, and self-reliant.
By the time he returned after three years, he was remarkably adaptable and had developed a much broader worldview. He also became fairly proficient in Japanese and gained a deep appreciation for cross-cultural communication. I think the whole adventure broadened his horizons immensely and gave him a level of quiet confidence he simply would not have developed had he stayed in his hometown.