The Life Of An Expat Is Not All Sweetness And Light Article

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The Life Of An Expat Is Not All Sweetness And Light

For a substantial number of people the dream of becoming an expat does not come up to their expectations and the reality of moving to a new country is often more of a nightmare than a dream. The secret of course, as with many things in life, lies in sitting down and doing your homework.

Author: Donald Saunders

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Sitting sun lounge and gazing out on your windswept and rain soaked garden it is easy to imagine yourself living a new life in a new country, but how does this picture in your mind's eye compare to the reality after you have made the move? Well, this question is not perhaps as easy to answer as you might think.

Perhaps the most significant problem is that there are so many variables to think about and Such a large number of factors which are simply unknown at the beginning. It is very easy, for example, to believe that the fact that you do not speak the language is not important as, in the short term at least, you may well be able to get by in your mother tongue and can always pick up the language in the longer term. But just how easy is it to learn a language and how easy is it to learn the language of your chosen country?

You might also be excited about the prospect of all that exotic food, but how is a perhaps marked change in your diet going to affect your health? You might very well have experienced some wonderful high quality restaurant food on holiday trips but is this really the kind of food you will be enjoying every day when you are cooking for yourself?

The problems are of course relatively minor when it comes to comparing them to trying to adjust mentally to living in what is not only a different country, but frequently a very different culture. Those things which you have considered both curious and fascinating when on holiday could well present you with considerable problems when they are a part of your daily life.

Many countries with a sizeable expatriate community develop a substantial support network, which normally includes an expat club which holds regular meetings, organizes outings and events, publishes its own newspaper and much more. Initially this might seem extremely comforting but it is often worth considering why the expats in the country have found it necessary to create such an extensive support network. Indeed, when you see the extent to which the lives of many expats revolve around the activities of the expat community you may well find yourself asking why they moved overseas in the first place.

In reality many expats find that, after the novelty has worn off, they regret having moved but have all too often burnt their bridges and now find that they have choice other than to remain where they are and make the most of their situation.

Of course this is not the case with all expats and, as an expat myself, I can assure you that there are also many of us who are very happy with our decision to re-locate and would certainly not wish to turn the clock back. For many thousands of people every year the decision to move overseas turns out to be the best decision they have ever made and one which they most certainly do not regret. By can you know which group of expats you are likely to join before you make your decision?

Unfortunately, you can never be sure, although there are some things which you can do to increase the chances of your decision being one that you are glad you made.

The most important thing that you can do is to test the water and that means living in your chosen country for a fair length of time before you cut your ties with home. And the critical word here is 'living'.

It is no use simply visiting the country once or twice a year on holiday, staying in a hotel and eating in restaurants. You need to spend a minimum of a year in the country and cast off any idea of being on holiday. You have to make a determined effort to live as you would wish to live in the longer term, steering clear of tourist areas and activities and integrating yourself into the local community. Live like a local, doing your own cooking and taking the time to learn something of the local history, culture and lifestyle, while at the same time making the effort to learn the language.

By staying away from the expatriate community and integrating yourself into the local community from the very start you will rapidly discover whether or not you would be making a wise choice to move overseas permanently.

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If you are thinking of traveling oversease either for a short holiday or an extended stay, then do not depart without arranging the appropriate international travel health insurance plan. Visit MedicalHealthInsuranceToday.com for more information on this and other aspects of health insurance including health insurance for pre-existing conditions

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