Moving out to a new country is exciting. People always talk about the bright side of moving out, but things can also get difficult, and you must acknowledge that you are moving out.
A user asked the forum, “Expats, what is one thing about moving to a foreign country that nobody talks about?” Here are the top responses.
YOU WILL END UP NOT FEELING AT HOME ANYWHERE
“You can often end up not feeling fully at home anywhere. You feel like a foreigner in your new country (this is not a bad thing), but after a while, if you visit your home country, you can feel like an outsider there too.”
INITIAL ISOLATION
“The initial isolation. When we emigrated, I had a phone without contact because I didn’t know anyone.”
IT IS NOT LIKE A VACATION
“It is not like a vacation. I thought I would explore this marvelous and rich new world every day after work, but I am tired and want to relax at home.”
MOVING BACK IS HARD
“Moving back. Seriously. Moving back home caused the same, if not more, paperwork than moving away!”
YOU HAVE TO LEARN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF THINGS
“There are many things you must learn to do that you never think about until you don’t know how to do them wherever you live. ”
YOU WILL SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY VISITING FAMILY
“You will spend all your vacation time and money visiting family in your home country, especially if your parents are old and you have kids. All those amazing cities in Europe you want to explore? Sorry, you spent 10% of your after-tax salary flying back to the United States to stay in your hometown for two weeks.”
YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS WON’T BE INTERESTED
“Most of your family members and friends from your home country won’t want to hear about your new life.”
REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK
“Reverse culture shock is a thing and can be much harder to cope with than culture shock. I was genuinely sad when I returned to the United States from Germany.”
VISAS
“Visas! Visas are something you don’t think about at home, but we foreigners always talk about them.”
YOU WILL APPRECIATE THINGS ABOUT YOUR OLD COUNTRY
“You appreciate things about your old country you took for granted, and when others say mean things about your country, you instinctively get defensive, even if you agree.”
FOOD
“The food that you grew up on. Some examples include going to the chipper after a few beers, real milk for your cup of tea, and frying with proper-tasting sausages, butter, and spuds daily.
A chicken curry from the local Chinese; I live in Asia and haven’t found a decent one yet that tastes like home.”
ROAD ACCIDENTS
“Road accidents. I lived in Thailand for a long time. Unbeknownst to me, it’s the motorcycle accident capital of the world.”
PEOPLE WILL EXPECT TO STAY IN YOUR PLACE FOR FREE
“All your friends and family expect they can come over and stay at your place without paying. If you can’t say no, you will be a free-of-charge Bed & Breakfast.”
STEREOTYPES AND RACISM
“You will experience stereotypes and racism, no matter where you are from or where you are going.”
CLOTHING CAN BE HARD
“Buying clothing can be hard. For example, I’m 6 ft 1 (185cm or so) and slightly overweight (95kg). When I lived in Hong Kong, it was hard to buy shirts. The same applies to shoes and makeup if your skin color differs from the local population.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.