BY LEROY ADAMS

When we spoke to Deji, he was in Spain reflecting on his decision to turn down a $70,000 raise, because moving back to the United States was not worth it. Deji, who has worked all across Europe, discovered that safety, quality of life, and love didn’t have a price tag. He rejected the notion that Black people have to suffer American racism in pursuit of a better life. For Deji, this was not acceptable. His story is a beautiful reminder that we all can say “No, I don’t want that” and create the life that we want. A life we can love.

You couldn’t pay me to move back to the U.S. right now.

You couldn’t pay me to move back to the U.S. right now. I got offered a $70K raise and it was enough money where I could fly back [to Spain] frequently and I was like “I’m good”. What good is that money if I’m in a fearful situation or I get pulled over and die? For $70K? I’m good. That’s how I look at it now. I had a taste of different setup [in Spain]. I love the U.S. I still visit, but my ideal [situation] is one or two months in the U.S and that’s it.

Dating Abroad

Be open and be yourself. It sounds corny, but it’s the easiest thing to do. People try so hard to do things that are not natural to them. Eventually, that gets tiring or it will wear off. So just be you, but you also have to be open to [new] things. No matter where you are, things are different, cultures are different. But there are certain things, no matter where you are, that are the same. Everyone goes to eat, the movies, it doesn’t matter if you Hindu or from Egypt. During our first date, my fiancé and I realized we both loved to travel. Just be you and be open to new things.

On work culture and quality of life in Spain and Europe...

The number one reason I moved to Spain, my sister too, she lives in Europe, was that the emphasis was different [on work culture]. In America, you live to work. Here, you work just because you have to. It’s all about the quality of life. And the quality of life is defined differently here. In America, you work to buy things and half the things you don’t even need. In Spain, people do a lot more things outside. I have friends whose home I’ve never been to and I didn’t know what they did for a living for the first two years [of our friendship]. I can tell you things about those people that are not related to work or their profession. My friends here would rather buy drinks and vacations. It’s a very different mindset from my friends in America.

Click here to check out the extended interview on The Buddy Pass podcast!