Meppel, The Netherlands   — When she left her native island of Réunion to settle with her partner in a small Dutch town,   Emilie Lenclume , then 35, had no doubts about her decision. “I felt the need to explore new horizons,” she recalls. “I wanted a different life — more space, more perspective, and new challenges.” She sold her house, packed her optimism, energy, and confidence, and soon found both her partner and a job. “Everything was going according to plan,” she says.