Eight years abroad: Sharing my experience on stage at the Black Ballad Weekender

I flew to London for the Black Ballad Weekender, a two-day festival to celebrate a decade of Black Ballad – a platform that publishes articles, holds events and collects data for and by Black women.

Whilst running the Work & Careers room at the Black Ballad Weekender, I joined sessions including ‘Investing,’ ‘Black Women in Tech,’ and ‘Navigating the Corporate World as a Black Woman.’ And on top of that, Tobi Oredein, Founder & CEO of Black Ballad, had personally asked me if I’d join the Living Abroad panel on the main stage to share my advice and experience of life in Germany.

I love public speaking, am passionate about supporting my community, and have been sharing updates on living abroad for the last 8 years, so the option to combine all three was a no-brainer.

What made this extra special is that the timing of the Black Ballad Weekender aligned perfectly with my 8 year anniversary in Frankfurt. What a way to celebrate!

I was on stage alongside moderator, Zainab Jumoke Abdullahi, and two Black British women who moved away from the UK: Micallar Walker joined from Dubai, Middle East, and Yasmin Metz-Johnson came in from Sierra Leone, Africa.

It was great to hear about other people’s experiences. Micallar relocated on a whim for better quality of life, and Yasmin was in Sierra Leona throughout the pandemic, and therefore had a very different experience of COVID-19, compared to me in Germany.

We touched on topics from navigating your career abroad, to how much money you need to relocate, and our experience of racism as Black British women living on three different continents.

I also shared some advice: You won’t ever be where you are and who you are now, again. And if that means that this is the best time to move abroad, then go. Nothing is permanent and you only miss the opportunities you didn’t take.

Celebrating 8 years in Frankfurt at the Black Ballad Weekender was incredible. I love growing my community and having a postive impact on others by sharing my story.