GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 8 | Page 63

Show Me the Money Although travel can be costly, going abroad has led to financial independence for some GGIs. Marta Cavalla, a professional translator, explains that she left her native Spain because ‘I could not content myself with a meagre salary and uncertain career prospects.’ In Ireland, she found ‘better opportunities, true recognition for what I do. . . and I earn three times more [than at home].’ Christal Phillips, born and raised in the US, told a similar story. ‘After graduat[ing] in the middle of an economic recession, I took the opportunity to move abroad.’ She now lives in Korea, where she has ‘been fortunate to have an upward career trajectory.’ While finances and career prospects might provide the impetus for an initial move abroad, most GGIs stay on because it is beneficial for their career and they enjoy life in their adopted homelands. Cavalla says that ‘Dublin is a vibrant, cosmopolitan place,’ and ‘the best thing about it – apart from career prospects I could not have dreamt of in my homeland – is the opportunity to experience a different lifestyle, meeting people from all over the world, and Guinness beef pie!’