Living an expat life- how will that change you

When I first moved to live in another country, I knew instantly that things would never be the same again. Full of adventurous spirit I packed all my teenage precious belongings, took my seat on a bus and two days later I arrived in Edinburgh. “For a month,” I said to myself. The month passed.  ‘For just one year”, I said to myself this time. That one year was not even finished when I knew that I would stay there for longer.

Ten years, two degrees and several travel adventures later, I decided to go and live a little bit further this time. More mature, and equipped with many experiences, I squeezed my life in a suitcase, left a lot behind, and went to another continent. When I look back to that day when I waited for the bus that would take me to Scotland, I know that that decision was a starting kick for learning. I entered a life of uncertainty and opened the door to many unexpected changes.  What a discovery, you might say?

Whenever you travel or move to live in another country, you will have to face challenges, and overcome many obstacles. You will learn things about yourself you never knew. You simply grow. You look at the world differently…and there’s no coming back from that.

“Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We’ll wander back and home to bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!”
?

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

 How living in another country will change you forever

You are not afraid of a challenge and difficulties

Well, that’s only partially true. You are still afraid, but all the challenges or difficulties miraculously seem easier. A challenge? Becomes an addiction. You search for more. While uncertainty was scary and challenges used to be avoided whenever possible, with time you want more. Each place feeds you with more curiosity…and you realize that there is no turning back. You become highly enthusiastic about discovering new places, learning new things. Learning Chinese? Why not? It’s a challenge, let’s see how long it will take to master it.

You can adapt easier and handle changes

Different language, different culture…everything that is happening in the new place is ‘not normal’. ‘Not normal’ becomes the new ‘normal’. You get less surprised each time something is different. You realize that change is the only constant in your life.

You speak more than one language

You were excellent at expressing yourself in one language. Now despite knowing more words than before, you find yourself in situations when you struggle to find the ‘right word’ and it just happens that the one word that would express perfectly what you want comes from another language. A huge shock was in Chile, where Chilean Spanish is so hard to understand.

You become more independent.

You just have to. You’ll be exploring a new place, asking others for advice, being turned away. You’ll quickly realize that you and only you (or if you are not alone then you and someone who shares the journey with you) will have to take care of yourself/ yourselves. You will become an independent thinker, you will learn a lot about yourself and your likes and dislikes. You will follow your path and not the one of others.

See also:

What to consider before chosing an expat life?

20 things I learned from living in Scotland

My first impressions of living in Qatar and a few ideas why you should put it on your travel list.

You stop being attached to things.

As much as I can, I try to follow one advice: spend the money on things that I don’t have to carry. Weight slows you down in many ways. Well, I still love a new pair of shoes…or two. Traveling, exploring, theater, and spending time with friends and loved ones become a priority. Material things don’t matter much anymore… you might need to leave them behind one day. Again!

You improve your organizational skills.

Find a new place to stay, adjust to different office times, apply for a visa on time, find a job, etc. And all possibly in a new language. Time management and organizational skills, if you already developed them, now are more useful than ever. If you lack them…well, after some painful lessons, you’ll master those skills.

You strengthen your patience.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I am suddenly the queen of serenity and patience. Adapting to the new place can be difficult. Bearing in mind cultural differences, habits, or even the way the paperwork is done you might have to test your patience daily. Why they can’t serve coffee with milk? ‘Why!?’ I ask. Well…because. Those little things you might not understand and they might annoy you, but it will be a great lesson for your patience. Never-ending paperwork, local transportation system, office and bank timetables. You need to adjust and be patient. Full stop!

You feel empowered.

After experiencing several discomforts, from sleeping conditions, through shocking cultural differences to the jungle of the bureaucracy, you feel like nothing can surprise you anymore and you feel the power that you can do anything you want. You feel freer.

Courage? It suddenly has a totally different meaning.

Waiting at that bus stop with two suitcases, my brother and my dog I thought of myself: “I must have so much courage to go so far away from home”. Some family members were terrified, some people thought I was the next Columbus. A bit overdramatic.

Many people say that it takes a lot of courage, that I must be really brave to travel on my own or move to another country. And that they would love that too, but for several reasons they can’t, it’s usually fear that stops them from doing it. Yes, there was a feeling of massive courage the first time. There was fear and excitement. There’s still fear, but instead of feeling brave I just need to deal with whatever comes. It’s not courage anymore. If you want something, just do it. Fear is imprisoning you and quickly you realize that it is not that scary out there.

If you’d like to move abroad, but you are scared, I would suggest trying a solo trip first– it is a big lesson to feel ok outside your comfort zone. These are the best places for the first solo trip for women.

Home? You are not quite sure where it is.

When you are living in another country you become a part of it and it leaves a print in you. When you move somewhere else, you carry that print with you. With time you start considering yourself a citizen of the world. You most likely still have a great sentiment to your home country, you still suffer homesickness, but you feel like your home is in many places.

You realize that goodbyes become a part of the journey.

This one is tough. While giving things up becomes easier with time, saying goodbye to friends and family is never easy, but you realize that it is a part of your journey and you learn to let it go.

What are your experiences of traveling or living in another country? How have you and your life changed?

Favourite travel resources:

• Booking.com for searching best prices on accommodation.
• Discover Cars is a great website as they search both local and international car hire services, so you can choose the best deal for yourself. Make sure though, that the company has a good reputation and reviews.
• Get Your Guide is my place to go for searching and booking tours and excursions, especially when I travel solo.
• World Nomads travel insurance. I like them because they have quite extensive coverage of different activities.
• Jack’s Flight Club is a service that can save you hundreds of dollars on flights, it works especially well in Europe.
• Trivago where you can search and save on hotels.
• Go City is a perfect site for booking bucket list experiences and attractions all in one to avoid paying for multiple tickets. Easy and saves money.
• Trip Advisor– amazing for good quality recommendations.
• Skyscanner is a perfect website for searching flight routes and comparing prices.

SIGN UP FOR FLIGHT DISCOUNTS

Disclosure: Please note that this post included affiliate links, when you decide to purchase anything through these links I get a small commission at NO extra cost to you, it helps me to keep running this blog! I only promote products and services I use or would use myself. All images are the property of Postcards from the World and cannot be used without permission.