There’s this Instagram reels trend going around that says:

“People who moved abroad alone in their 20s, handled all the documents, bank accounts, visas, taxes, jobs, accommodation, and cultural differences—these people fear nothing anymore.”

I can see why that sentiment resonates. It sounds bold, empowering, and fearless. But from my own journey, it feels far from the truth.

I moved out to live alone when I was just sixteen. Since then, I’ve moved abroad multiple times around fifteen or sixteen, if I count them all (I’ve written more about this in another blog post). Each move brought new challenges, and while (maybe?) I’ve grown stronger, I’ve also realized something important: Just as life can surprise you with something good when you least expect it, it can also take a turn for the worse. There is always something unexpectedly frightening. No matter how much you prepare, life has a way of surprising you.

What moving has really taught me is how vulnerable life can be. I’ve learned not to hold onto things too tightly, because nothing lasts forever. I’ve learned to let go, over and over again. And yet, the true challenge is not detachment, but living fully and committing wholeheartedly, even when I know I’ll eventually have to let it go.

That’s why the words “fear nothing anymore” feel unwise to me. Life is unpredictable. Just as there are unexpected joys, there are also sudden hardships we never imagined. To dismiss that with arrogance, as if moving abroad once makes us invincible, feels misleading.

Maybe the reels are just trends, meant to sound empowering in a thirty-second clip. But from where I stand, life isn’t about fearing nothing. It’s about embracing everything, even the things we don’t see coming.