Woman explains why she regrets returning from Europe to live the 'American dream'

Growing up, everyone has dreams and ambitions they wish to accomplish in the future. While building dreams, people often stick to the positive aspects, which maintain the dreamy and magical aspects of it all. However, it is only when one gets closer to making their dreams a reality that one realizes that there are cons along with the pros. A woman named Kayleigh (@kayshaynee) shared a similar experience she had that was mind-shattering on TikTok. The woman who moved to Ireland and dreamed of going back to America shared that it was beyond just a challenge to adapt to her “dream.” She shared that she was an American who had lived and worked in Ireland for the last four years and that she wanted to move back to America.

“I recently moved back to America and I have been bamboozled,” Kayleigh said. She then shared how every individual feels homesick when they’re abroad and has this urge to return, thinking of only the positives. “I was thinking that maybe I should move back to America. The pay is better there, I’d get less time off, but I’d still get time off,” the woman said as she recalled contemplating her decision. She added that her higher income would help her save and move back later if she wanted to. “I’d have a fatter bank account, plus there’s more job opportunities there. It’d be great for my career,” Kayleigh recalled the list. The many reasons convinced her to come back.

“When I tell you that my bank account went down, I literally lost money,” she remarked. She revealed that, despite getting a higher-paying job, she wasn’t able to save money in America. “The cost of living here is so exponentially higher and the job market sucks,” Kayleigh ranted. Coming to the point of having leaves and holidays at work, the woman mentioned how she’d get 29 days of leaves along with other holidays in Ireland, which would add up to around 40 days of holidays in a year. “Here, I’m getting 10 days off a year,” she said. “I got sucked into the American dream way of living when I was abroad,” Kayleigh confessed. She also revealed, “Making more money, that’s enticing. Good job, that’s enticing. It’s not true. It used to be.” Kayleigh pointed out that the “dream” she wished to be a part of was a reality ages ago, but with the given economy, it is merely a fantasy.

“It’s literally all a lie that is sold to you,” she said. Towards the end of the video, Kayleigh also mentioned that she felt poor, was burned out and had to let go of her job. She added that she would likely be moving back to Ireland. “I will make less money, but somehow the cost of living is lower there. So don’t listen to people if they say don’t move, you’ll make less money,” Kayleigh concluded. Several young Americans shared the exhaustion Kayleigh felt and commented. @highlyskilledmigrant said, “The 25 days of vacation are firmly keeping me in Europe.” @robert.hatton said, “Yup, I made the same mistake, then realized that people and quality of life are more important than income.”