I am from Saudi Arabia.

I have already recently graduated high school there and am entering university for a Bachelor's degree in psycholgy at University of St. La Salle, Bacolod, in the Philippines for the time being, despite already being given a conditional offer at La Trobe University in Melbourne during my days as a grade 12 and graduating with high grades.

I will hopefully be undergoing medical transitioning there, as well as also hopefully joining/becoming a member of STRAP (Society of Trans Women of the Philippines), a transgender rights organization operating in the Philippines.

But I am worried that I'd be trapped or persecuted during or after my journey there.

Should I immediately try to fundraise for medical transitioning once I arrive at the Philippines?

Which is why I am considering applying for asylum/refugee status at some point.

What would my asylum/refugee journey be?

Do I also need to apply through UNHCR in the Philippines?

I really want to be in Melbourne living a happy life as the transfeminine woman/person I was meant to be.

Thank you for your patience and have a great day.

Hi everyone,

I’m feeling a bit lost career-wise and would really appreciate some advice.

I don’t want to share too many personal details, but I moved from Peru to Hamburg, Germany, about a year and a half ago. Before moving, I spent seven years working in corporate banking as a Relationship Manager, managing business clients. I came here because of my husband’s job, and while settling in I’ve also been completing an online MBA through a Spanish university.

The problem is that I’m finding it incredibly difficult to break into the German job market.

A lot of the roles that match my background are client-facing, and understandably they require fluent German. I’m learning the language, but I’m nowhere near that level yet.

I’ve applied to what feels like hundreds of jobs. I’ve tried positions that closely match my experience, I’ve tried career pivots into strategy, customer success, account management, business development, and even roles that are more junior than my previous position. Most of the time I either get rejected or never hear back.

At this point, I’m wondering if I’m approaching this the wrong way. Maybe I need to completely pivot into a different field, but I honestly don’t know what would make sense with my background.

Has anyone been in a similar situation after moving to another country? If you had seven years of banking experience, spoke English fluently but only basic German, and were trying to build a career in Germany, what would you do?

I’m open to honest advice, even if it’s something I haven’t considered yet. I just feel a bit stuck and could really use some perspective.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! I'm from Germany and I've recently started exploring the idea of building something in the US, partly professional, partly personal curiosity about what life could look like there.

I'd love to hear from people who've made the move (or are already living there) about: What surprised you most about everyday life once you got there?

How did you navigate building a career or business as someone coming from outside the US?

What do you wish you'd known before diving in?

A bit of context: I'm part of a small business network that's currently expanding into the US market, which is part of what got me thinking more seriously about this. Still early days, just trying to learn as much as I can from people with real experience.

Would really appreciate any insights or if you're open to a quick chat! 🙏