Through personal reflections, lived experiences, and honest insights, ACD student and Resident Blogger, Gabriel Dos Santos, shares stories that help future students imagine not just attending college abroad—but truly belonging here.
Have you ever wondered if it would be a good idea to get your degree in a foreign country?
If the idea of living in another country has been burning inside your heart, I’m here to convince you to mark that dream off of your bucket list right now. And I’d like to do that by sharing some of my personal top 7 reasons why living abroad is definitely the best thing you can ever do in your life.
Traveling the world is like allowing yourself to write a page of your life. Living abroad, however, is like writing, drawing, and painting a whole new chapter — if not an entire book — of your life in the most beautiful and unique way. It truly is a more enriching and remarkable experience.
7- You will get to experience the culture in a unique way
There’s a huge difference between hearing about a certain culture and being able to see what that culture is like with your own eyes. When you live inside of a certain culture, you become a part of it. It’s fun to learn about different customs and traditions, but when you get to experience them yourself, it’s unforgettable.
As a Brazilian, when I lived in the U.S., I thought I wouldn’t come across so many different cultural characteristics between the U.S. and Brazil, but I was wrong. The way people live there is so different. From realizing that people eat a big breakfast and skip lunch (which is the complete opposite thing we do in Brazil: we skip breakfast and lunch is our main meal of the day: rice, beans, stake and salad), to noticing some other deeper things of life, such as how life in the U.S. is a lot more work-centered, everything feels a lot more fast-paced, and there’s less human touch when you’re with your friends.
On top of that, now that I’m living in Dublin, I can see that there are so many more different traditions and characteristics than I thought. Not only between Ireland and Brazil, but among Ireland, Brazil, and the U.S. Like I learned at work to do what I’m paid to do only (How overachieving is seen as something negative), which reveals how laid-back Irish culture is and how most people here don’t really care about status, they’re their happiest selves when they’re having a good craic with their friends in their favorite local pub rather than at a fancy restaurant holding an expensive drink for an Instagram story.
No book, blog post, or documentary would be enough to teach me about what life is like in these countries. It truly feels different and a lot more real when you are living in them. And that teaches you so much about yourself, the world, and everything you believe in.
6- You will question your beliefs and goals after you start comparing countries (in a good way)
When I compare the U.S. to Ireland and I notice that there’s so much focus on career and money in the U.S. and in Ireland, the focus is a lot more on the routine and the relationship you have with your friends and family, as an outsider, I’m allowed to balance these things out and reflect on what kind of life I want to choose for myself. Focusing on a career isn’t a bad thing. But neglecting the beauty and fun of the simple things of life such as going to a pub with your friends on a regular basis, is what makes obsession with our career bad sometimes.
I love that people in Ireland aren’t attached to titles and jobs. I love that this idea of looking down on people because of what job they have is not very present in Irish culture. Everybody respects everybody regardless of what job they have. You don’t question their intelligence and worth just because they work in the kitchen, or cleaning houses.
One of my co-workers has a degree in biomedicine, and he isn’t working in his field because he can’t find a job or because he’s lazy, but because he loves being a chef and as a chef, he can afford all the things he needs and finds important. Isn’t it how it should be? That I’m able to afford a decent life regardless of what job I have? This is a reality I found very distant in my home and former host country (Brazil and the U.S.,) and only by living in Dublin culture, I’ve been able to learn that life is a lot more than just work and school.
5- You will get to celebrate the holidays in a unique way
Another super awesome cultural experience you have is that you get to celebrate a lot of holidays in real life. Some of which you had only heard in movies, and now are a huge part of your day-to-day life.
It’s truly a fun experience. Countries have different histories which makes them celebrate different holidays, and that will certainly influence how you go about your experience. The first time I got to celebrate certain holidays in the U.S. was incredibly fun. I loved experiencing Thanksgiving for the first time, and even taking part in Labor Day festivities. Halloween was another highlight—I had only ever seen it in movies, so going trick-or-treating for the first time was such a thrill. I also attended the New York City Halloween Parade, which was truly remarkable, and in 2019, I got to experience the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade—a moment I’ll never forget.
Here in Ireland, I absolutely loved experiencing celebrations that are unique to the country, especially St. Patrick’s Day and the Christmas markets.
St. Patrick’s Day is the most iconic Irish celebration, with parades, music, dancing, and everyone wearing green to honor the patron saint. Experiencing it in person is completely different from seeing it on TV.
The Christmas markets in Ireland are another highlight. During the holiday season, towns and cities transform with twinkling lights, festive stalls, and seasonal treats. Walking through these markets, enjoying the food, and listening to carols made me feel the warmth and magic of the Irish holiday season in a way I had never experienced before.
These may seem like simple experiences, but as a foreigner, they profoundly shape how you live and remember your time abroad.
4- Traveling within the foreign country you’re living in will be a lot easier (and from where you are to the other countries around)
How many separate trips to Europe would I have had to book if I didn’t live here? How much harder would it have been to visit as many places as possible? How many days would I need just to explore multiple towns in Ireland?
Being from Brazil makes traveling much more difficult. The biggest reason is geography: Brazil is huge and located on a relatively isolated continent. To fulfill all my travel dreams from Brazil, I would not only need to be wealthy, but I’d also need unlimited time off.
Living abroad solves this problem in a big way. Being based in a geographically convenient location allows you to explore multiple countries with far less hassle. Now that I live in Ireland, I’m just an hour away from anywhere in the UK and less than two hours from most European countries. This makes traveling easier, cheaper, and far less stressful.
3- You will evolve a lot more as a person
’ve changed so much since living in the U.S., and I’ve continued to grow and evolve while living in Ireland. But this change didn’t happen because America or Ireland performed some kind of miracle on me—it happens because that’s what living abroad does. Being in a foreign country forces you to evolve, and that’s one of the most beautiful aspects of the experience.
Life abroad is intense. Days feel like years, and years can feel like days. So much happens that it can completely transform your perspective. You begin to see things differently, question yourself more deeply, and realize that life doesn’t have to follow the old patterns anymore.
The first major change is learning true independence. I’ve always been independent, but moving to the U.S. pushed me even further. When you’re on your own in a foreign country, you must gather all the tools to survive without relying on anything from home. No one will speak the language for you, cook for you, find you a place to stay, or help you get a job—you have to do it yourself. Abroad, independence isn’t optional; it’s necessary.
The second change is a shift in mindset. Living abroad transforms how you see everything—friendship, the purpose of your life, your interests—everything takes on a new meaning. Your perspective evolves constantly, and it’s a powerful, ongoing process.
Some of the lessons I’ve learned include the true value of friendship, love, relationships, and career, but perhaps most importantly, the significance of the small daily decisions we make. Every experience teaches you something new, and living abroad amplifies those lessons in ways you could never anticipate.
2- You will have the chance to learn a new language or to improve your foreign language skills
From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, I mostly speak English. Everywhere I go in Ireland, I’m using English. When I meet my friends, I speak English. In my classes, I speak English. It’s my main language for almost everything here.
Now, how much have I progressed since arriving, knowing that English is my second language? Portuguese is my native language, so living in an English-speaking country has been a game-changer for mastering the language.
Learning a foreign language isn’t about talent—it’s a skill. Like cooking, driving, or swimming, the more you practice, the better you get. Passion helps, but no one is born with a magical ability to speak foreign languages perfectly.
Plus, language is culture. It’s not just grammar rules or vocabulary—it’s a way of thinking, expressing, and experiencing the world. You can only truly understand it by living it. Before moving abroad, I already had an advanced level of English from books, TV shows, movies, and music. But I only became fluent once I could use it in real-life contexts. Conversational ability is one thing; true fluency comes from immersion.
But here’s the funny part of living in Ireland: even if you’re a native English speaker, living in Ireland will teach you new ways to express yourself. English in Ireland is deeply influenced by Irish (Gaelic), their native language, and it has its own rhythm, expressions, and cultural nuances. Exposing yourself to Irish English allows you to understand aspects of their culture, humor, and personality that you wouldn’t notice otherwise.
Speaking a foreign language feels empowering. Every time you open your mouth and communicate, it’s like a small victory. Staying in Brazil would have limited my opportunities to use English actively, so being here feels incredibly rewarding.
1- You will get to make so many new friends from all over the world
One of the best things that happened to me while living abroad was meeting some of the most incredible people from all around the world. And it wasn’t just about meeting them—I became friends with so many of them.
There’s an intern Brazilian saying and joke: “The largest Brazilian community is located in Brazil.” It reflects the fact that Brazil isn’t very multicultural today. It’s not as easy to meet people from all over the world in Brazil as it is in the United States or many European countries.
I was fascinated by the amazing people I encountered from so many different parts of the globe. They quickly became like family to me. I never imagined I would be friends with people from Germany, Italy, China, South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and so many other countries.
Meeting people from other countries teaches you and helps you grow in ways you can’t get elsewhere. You begin to see life from entirely new perspectives. Their traditions, customs, and ways of living show you that life doesn’t have to follow just one pattern—it can be expressed in countless ways, and that diversity is the true beauty of it.
Today, when I think of a country like Mexico, Thailand, or Australia, I don’t picture a map or Internet photos. Instead, I think of the people I met from these countries—their stories, their culture, and what I learned from them. That’s the gift of having met friends from different nationalities: each person carries a piece of their world with them, and through them, you get to experience it too.