Blog Post 8 – Starting from Scratch in a New Country

The Adventure of Starting Over

People often tell me I’m brave for moving to new countries. To me, it has become a natural rhythm - a cycle of creating, connecting, and beginning again.

Leaving Australia after 5 years was one of the hardest things I’ve done. I had built Vino & Van Gogh, a business I loved - teaching people how to paint while drinking wine - and I had friends who felt like family. I was part of the local community, involved in different projects and working together with different businesses. It became home. There was a sense of belonging.

But my visa was ending, and none of the other visa options felt right. So I made the difficult choice to let go of the stability I had built and step into the unknown once again - no plan, just trusting something would unfold.

And now, here I am: in a small mountain village in Peru, of all places - once again reinventing myself, settling in, connecting, and building a new life.

The Emotional Rollercoaster

I feel like I sometimes make it look easy - but it doesn’t always just flow. Even now, as I’m writing this, I’m in it. There’s this strange feeling of being in between worlds and in between stages of life, especially in that moment when you’re bridging the gap between being a tourist and becoming a local.

There are several challenges along the way: the visa paperwork (which can be costly), the logistics of supporting yourself, and the endless questions that arise - Is this a logical step towards my dreams? What’s important to me right now? Where do I want to be in my life?

There’s a lot of uncertainty. But I’m the kind of person who likes to be challenged and doesn’t thrive too much routine or predictability - that helps. I’ve learned to find a sense of peace in uncertainty.

Everything works differently in a new country, and even though I love the excitement of it all, I can also feel overwhelmed and emotional.

I woke up this morning, feeling unsure - wondering if I made the right choice, and if this path will really lead me somewhere meaningful. There are days I question everything. But I’ve learned to keep going anyway.

In the end, we never truly know how things will unfold. That’s something we need to let go of - the need to control every detail - and simply trust the process. Because somehow, it always works out.

I’ve started over many times before - first within the Netherlands, in Maastricht and Leeuwarden, then in South Africa, and later across Australia: Byron Bay, Maryborough, the Northern Beaches, and Margaret River. Each time brought its own lessons, challenges, and version of me. And maybe that’s why,  even in the middle of the doubt, I know I’ll find my way again.

Building a new life: step-by-step

Usually, before I decide to settle somewhere for a longer period of time, I end up staying there a little longer than planned - finding it somehow really hard to leave. Or I leave, only to come back again because something about that place feels familiar, comfortable, like I could find a bit of stability there.

I’m a very extroverted person, so I naturally talk to a lot of people - in the streets, at the plaza, or while making art in local cafes. I like to be visible, to interact, to listen to people’s stories and share mine. That’s how connections start.

I tend to stay in small towns. In smaller towns, things move quickly if you stay open to conversations with strangers. You talk to one person, who introduces you to another, and before you know it, you’re part of the local web of connections.

I love buying myself flowers, and people always comment on them when I’m walking down the street. That’s actually how I met one of my closest friends here in Pisac - just walking with my Sunflower in my hand. I saw a beautiful woman coming from the opposite direction, and we both greeted each other at the same time, spontaneously. I complimented her on her stunning looks, and she mentioned how Sunflowers are her favourite flower too. Before we knew it, we stood there talking about our lives for half an hour. We’ve met up several times since and are now even looking to rent a house together.

I met some other friends the same way - out on the street, entering a café to eat some delicious carrot cake. In small towns, everyone is connected. You just need to stay open and present. After a casual talk with them I ended up bumping into them all the time…

Finding Purpose Again

Each move reshapes your purpose in ways you don’t always expect. When everything familiar falls away - your home, you routines, even the language - you start to focus on what really matters in the present and what makes you happy right now.

Every new place has sparked a different part of me. In Australia,  during the pandemic, I picked up a paintbrush to deal with the stress of being so far from my family while there was such a crisis going on in Europe, where they were. This eventually resulted in starting Vino & Van Gogh Australia. I got into the wine industry. I planted trees.

Now, here in Peru, I am planting new seeds. Writing my blog for Colors of Kimberly, learning about building social media presence, and further developing other marketing skills. I do offer photography sessions locally to earn some cash for daily expenses. I’m still figuring it all out, but I’m letting things flow - trusting it will lead me to new insights and personal growth.

Now through Colors of Kimberly, I’m trying to combine my interests and passions - art, photography, travel and storytelling - into something meaningful that can travel with me wherever I go.

It’s a reminder that purpose isn’t fixed. It moves, evolves, and grows with you - just like the journey itself.

What Starting Over Teaches You

Starting over in a new country is more than just building a new life - it’s meeting new parts of yourself. Each time you unpack your bags somewhere unfamiliar, you discover a version of yourself that you hadn’t met before. New interests appear, perspectives shift, and slowly you realise how adaptable the human spirit truly is.

Moving abroad teaches you independence - to rely on your own strength when things don’t go as planned. It builds empathy, because you begin to see how others live, think, and love across cultures. And it fuels creativity, because you’re constantly finding new ways to express yourself in changing surroundings. It shows up in the bigger things, as well as the smaller ones — even something as simple as choosing your new yogurt brand at the local supermarket.

You are expanding who you are. Every place, every person, and every chapter adds another color to your story.

The beauty of Beginning Again

I see starting over as an adventure. It’s not really beginning from zero - the essentials are already there: your experiences, your values, your creativity, and your sense of self. You just need to reinvent how you bring them to life in a new environment.

Of course, there are moments of culture shock, when everything feels completely different from what you’re used to at home. But that’s also what makes it exciting. Every unfamiliar situation becomes a chance to learn, to grow, and to rediscover who you are in a new context.

In the end, starting again is about embracing change - not resisting it. It’s about trusting that life keeps unfolding in ways that challenge and inspire you. Because each new beginning, no matter how uncertain, carries the quiet promise of something beautiful waiting to be found.

With warmth,
Kimberly 🌻