There’s something beautiful about landing in a place where everything feels… unfamiliar. Yes, I meant unfamiliar. 

Where your skin tone, your accent, your cultural cues, and even your breakfast choices make you stand out.

It can feel disorienting at first. But then—if you let it—it becomes transformational.

As Black women, many of us dream about living abroad to escape burnout, to feel safe, to rest. And for some, that dream includes finding a community that looks like us. That dream is valid. There’s safety and solidarity in being seen.

But what if I told you that choosing a country where you’re one of the only ones can also be deeply rewarding?

What if, just for a little while, you said yes to the unfamiliar?

What if this next season of your life was your version of a “Year of Yes”?

Not forever. Not a lifetime commitment. But an experiment. An exploration. A "trust fall" into the world.

Maybe Your People Aren’t Who You Think They Are

Let’s be honest—most of us were taught to find our people by spotting folks who look like us, talk like us, or share a background we understand. That’s how we learned to survive in the U.S.

But abroad? Survival doesn’t have to be the goal anymore.

Abroad, community can look like your elderly neighbor who brings you fruit every Saturday. The barista who teaches you how to say “thank you” in the local language

The couple down the street who invite you to their family celebration, even though you barely speak three words of their dialect.

Abroad, community can be made, not just found. And when you create it intentionally, it often ends up richer than you imagined.

You Don’t Have to Speak the Language to Feel at Home

This might sound strange, but some of the best conversations I’ve had abroad involved no words at all.

There’s a kind of humility that comes with not speaking the language. It slows you down. It forces you to pay attention to tone, body language, and facial expressions. And it makes you realize how much communication is universal.

Laughter, kindness, curiosity, gratitude—they need no subtitles.

And as you begin to learn the language bit by bit, those small victories become powerful. Ordering food without pointing. Giving directions to someone who’s lost. Joking with your neighbor in your new tongue, even if you mess it up.

That learning curve? It builds confidence like nothing else.

The More Places You Go, the More You Realize How Alike We All Are

Yes, cultures differ. And yes, you’ll likely find yourself in places where you stick out.

But over time, that “difference” gets overshadowed by the things you share:

☑︎ The desire to be respected.
☑︎ The joy of sharing a meal.
☑︎ The instinct to care for children.
☑︎ The grief of loss.
☑︎ The pride in your home or your garden, or your country.

I’ve had conversations about childhood, faith, music, love, and heartbreak with people who didn’t share my race, language, or upbringing. But we still got each other. You start to realize that our common humanity is stronger than the stuff that separates us.

And when that clicks? It changes how you see the world—and how you see yourself in it.

Even a Short Stay Can Shift Your Entire Mindset

You don’t need to commit to a whole new life. You can rent a place for 30 days. Or try out one season in a country that fascinates you.

Sometimes we think of these big moves as permanent and final. But trying something new doesn’t have to mean giving something up.

What if you simply gave yourself permission to be curious?

Try it the way you’d try a new hairstyle or a new fitness class. Not everything you try has to be forever. But it can still shape you.

This Isn’t About Being the Only One—It’s About Being Open

Let’s be clear: I would never suggest isolating yourself in a country where you feel unsafe, disrespected, or constantly invisible.

But there’s a difference between being the only one and being alone.

You can build bridges in unexpected places. Sometimes the friendships you make abroad—cross-cultural, cross-lingual, cross-generational—end up becoming the deepest and most loyal of your life.

You just have to be open enough to let them in.

The Challenges Are Real—But So Are the Gifts

I won’t sugarcoat it. There will be hard days.

Days when someone takes a photo of you without asking.

Days when your presence causes a stir just because you dared to show up.

Days when you feel homesick for the small comforts—your haircare products, your slang, your playlists, your people.

But discomfort is not danger. And difference isn’t always rejection.

Sometimes it’s just newness. Sometimes it’s curiosity. Sometimes it’s you breaking a stereotype someone didn’t even know they had.

That’s not easy—but it’s powerful.

So… What Would Happen If You Said Yes?

Yes to living in a place that doesn’t look like you.

Yes, to being the one with the accent.

Yes to building friendships that transcend language.

Yes to belonging in a space you once thought was “too different.”

You don’t have to say yes forever. Just for now. Just to see what’s possible.

Let this be the season you stopped waiting to feel ready and started trusting yourself to figure it out along the way.

Let this be your yes.

What would your version of a "Year of Yes" look like?

Leave a comment or reply (subscribers are reading this in an email). I’d love to hear what place has been calling to you lately. You can also share what this article made you feel.

Wishing you lots of financial, location, and time freedom.
Marcia Hylton, aka Marcia Unbound
Move Abroad Advisor

PS: If you're someone who has already moved somewhere that "doesn't look like you" and you are open to being interviewed on YouTube, send me a summary of your story here.