Yesterday I had a deep conversation with someone I know who has left Ghana in search of a better life in Germany. After our discussion I couldn't stop thinking about how difficult life becomes when you move to another country. Our family and friends back home see the pictures and videos of life abroad, and they're thinking it is all about luxury, money, and peace. But when you travel and live abroad, it hits you in ways you never imagined or expected.
When you first arrive in a new country, it is often quite shocking how different everything becomes. Things you never used to appreciate at home start to make sense. You begin to wish for the freedom, the food, the warm people, and even the little things you used to complain about. Finally you realize that some of the things you were running away from, actually are not that bad.
Living in Europe, whether in Germany or the UK, is not as easy as people assume. Most of us who live here have suffered quietly. We pay high taxes, expensive rent, receives lots of bills. Sometimes after a hard working months, more than half of your salary goes into bill paying. Definitely exhausting. You are constantly calculating, finding where you can cut back, and looking for how far your money will take you.
I've been living in the UK for a while now, and I can tell you straight up that the hustle is real. You do not just wake up to make money. You must learn about how the system works; you must learn to survive. If you are not careful, you can work every day and feel like you have gone nowhere. It’s not just about having a job, it’s about knowing how to make a living smartly.
The person I spoke to said he has to commute over three hours every day by train and then by bus to work. After 8 hours of work, he makes a 3-hour journey back home. That’s 6 hours every day stuck in traffic or public transport. Can you imagine how draining that is? He said he wishes he never left Ghana. In Ghana, his life was not perfect, but he had a job, and he had peace of mind. He was told Europe would be better for him, and now he is seeing the complete picture.
Many people still don’t get it. Even sharing my experience, they assume I am trying to demotivate them from travelling. The reality is that I just want people to prepare their minds. Migration is not a bad thing, but travelling without proper planning and with the wrong expectations can break you. I know Ghana’s economic situation is tough. People are losing faith in our system and it is easy to think travelling abroad will fix the problem.
The truth is that the hustle is real everywhere in the world. No matter where you go, you will fight for bread every day. There is no magic in abroad; if anything, you might work harder than you ever have in Ghana. So wherever you are, just know nothing comes easy. You will have to be tough, you will need to plan well and remain focus wherever you are. The hustle is completely real, but if you have the right mindset, you can still win.