I’ll admit its a lengthy post but this is a post I hope show how serious I am.

Growing up in America, I would always hear that the hardest thing to be is Black and I will have to work 2x as hard if not harder, just to be on the same level as my white counterparts. As a young man I didn’t understand this until I grew older and wiser. It. As a Black Man, its tiring to put on a happy face, so people won’t think negatively of me or wont be afraid. Ask anyone who knows me, I’m far from being scary. It gets exhausting that it can make anyone tired, putting on another image so I hope to not get shot by the police. Working abroad as a ESL Teacher has provided an outlook and peace I thought I could never achieve in my country of birth. Not only peace, but the opportunity to see other parts of the world. I hope to any black readers, viewing this post in the States, to tell you it’s never too late to achieve your travel goals, Anyone can travel! Yes even you single parent reading this. Now is the time to go see the world.

Americans unfortunately work themselves to death, having little time to accomplish their goals or do any hobbies. Black people have to work even harder just to stay in the same lane. This is why black people, hell for any Americans reading this, you need a break from America. Not only for the dreaded 9-5 rat race, but also the political, financial, or social stress that comes from living in the States. And after what happened with the Philando Castile case or Trump, I think its time for a break.

Now I’m sure many of you are thinking, I can’t travel because I got bills. And that is understandable. After all expenses are paid, do you really need to buy the latest game, phone or expensive item. If you are serious about travel, try to set what little money you can. Besides a ticket to South America or the Caribbean is cheaper than Europe. I always use Skyscanner for my trips. And I’m sure you asking “isn’t traveling outside the US dangerous”. Well yes there are some countries you should obviously avoid, lets be real. The United States is the most dangerous country for African Americans. I been to the Philippians and Malaysia and I have felt safer there than the US. Like many others, I believed the media about how traveling is dangerous and the US the “safest place” to be.

Traveling abroad can provide many opportunities for a person. While teaching, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting expats from around the world. On Saturday June 24^th I meet a guy(white dude who is leaving Korea soon) at a NC Dinos game who had a similar goal as mine.

We both looked for jobs after graduating collage but realized that if we couldn’t get anything here, we’ll get it somewhere else. Plus we both like comics!!

Probably the best part of living abroad is having affordable healthcare. In late January after my Chinese New Years vacation, I got a bad ear infection on both sides. I was a little worried about the medical bill, but when I saw it, my jaw dropped. The trip to the hospital was 18,000Won(about $15) and my prescription was 38,000Won(around $33). Mind you I had no insurance at the time and paid out of pocket. If I was still in the States it would have costs even more! Being able to pay a medical bill without going into debt is an amazing feeling and its one of the reasons I don’t plan on returning to the US anytime soon.

Lastly, the idea of working or traveling abroad has broaden my horizon even further. It made me realize that time and experiences matter more than wealth. Yes money is important, but being able to tell stories of walking on beaches in another country, trying different food you see on Instagram. This is more valuable to me. I rather talk about what I did when I lived in this country, instead of complaining about my job and being miserable like the others. Living as an expat, it has made me consider even more, to more abroad for good. There, I could buy a nice home without having a huge mortgage or medical debt. Travel has made me realize happiness is more important than having the latest item. To my fellow black people here is what you need to do next. Go to google image, pull up the world map, pick a country and get traveling!!!!