Candelabra consulting wants you to have a great experience moving to Germany. That´s why we are making little videos and posts to the topic “moving internationally” because we want to share our experiences, so that you can learn from it. In the blog we decided to give you a little bit more details on our personal story and we will start this series writing about Sergio and his move to Portugal. Enjoy the read:
I grew up in Colombia and graduated as a general practitioner in 2005 and for several years I worked in different institutions, in different parts of the country, always looking for the best working conditions and the possibility of progressing in my career.
With time and tired of the difficult working conditions and the difficulty in entering a medical residence, despite loving my country I considered then the possibility of moving.
The option of Portugal arose as an alternative, initially I considered Spain but at that time there were many doctors leaving Colombia for Spain and the offers were limited, thinking of other alternatives I found Portugal and the conditions seemed favourable.
Organizing things was not easy, it was necessary to organize the documents both to obtain the visa and to obtain the recognition of my medical diploma, after submitting the documents and dealing with the procedures it was necessary to prepare the necessary exams for validation.
Leaving my country and arriving in Portugal caused a mixture of feelings, on one hand excited to be in a new place full of opportunities, sad to leave friends and family, afraid to start over, full of uncertainty when thinking about the future.
Thinking about it today I would definitely do it again, expanding your horizons and getting to know a new country and a new culture are opportunities that should not be lost, it was not easy, many times I despaired, or felt sad, but everything I have gained, I would never have had it by staying in Colombia
You are never fully prepared for an international move, no matter how much you try to learn about a country’s culture or organization, only when you face reality is it possible to realize how difficult a process of adaptation is, all the things that are part of your routine, from one moment to the next they are gone and you have to restart and learn how everything works, this process puts your adaptation and success at risk, so if I could change something I would be better prepared and seek help, instead of trying to do everything and learn from my mistakes that at the time caused me not only lose time and money but also suffering stress.
With this I wish you all the best in your personal adventure and hope you are not making the same mistakes as me.
Talk to you soon,
Sergio
