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Okay, so here's the thing, abroad is not for everyone. Before you go shooting me down, I'll explain why I say this then give you some practical tips about how to make this bold move.
Why is it not for everyone?
Life in another country presents you with so many challenges you may never have expected to come across. We can never have everything in life figured out - that's just a dream to be honest. Everyday, we have to actively strive to better ourselves and improve our knowledge in the things of this world so that we're better people than we were the day before. However, one thing I learnt about making the move to live somewhere completely far from home is that you need to have some things figured out, particularly your goals and at least be somewhat certain in who you are. Let's dive into this a little.
I don't know if you read the previous article "Welcome to my World". If you haven't, go back and take a look so that what I say now makes a little more sense - being a Pumpkin Abroad is hard, and it is not for everyone. If you think it isn't hard, please please readjust your thinking. It's challenging. You may face discrimination at every turn (sometimes specifically depending on your roots) or just get lonely to be honest. If your thinking of living abroad, especially in Europe, is based on Emily in Paris, please throw that idea out the window. It's not like that, probably 99% of the time, it's not like that. You're not going to randomly meet some cute chef and have a messy romance or meet rich friends that take you to chateaus or on lavish trips. That's not a reality y'all. It just ain't. Sorry to burst your bubble.
You really need to know like 70% of your goals when moving abroad because you'll need something to hang on to when things get hard. When the winters aren't ending and it's just gloomy and sad, you need to be able to remind yourself why you are there. If you're not in a place where you have tangible goals, it's better to first re-evaluate before deciding to make the move.
Here's my advice...
BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO GO....do a practise run! What do I mean by this? Before I left home for uni, I took a year off straight after high school. During this year, I moved to another city in my country and worked at a boarding school that had ages from 6 up to middle school. I was helping out in classes, sporting fields, food halls as well as the dormitories. I was staying there most of the school semester and would only go home one or two weekends, it was a 24/7 role, literally. This was my learning curve. Though it wasn't extremely far from home, I had the opportunity to be truly independent for the first time in my life, and not only that, I had real responsibility looking after other people's children.
From this experience I learnt I was able to
stay far from home for extended periods of time without really feeling homesick
interact with strangers (different races) without feeling anxious or intimidated
take care of myself including making decisions about my health, finances and so forth
handle major responsibility without feeling fear
accept my freedom from my parents without becoming unruly
This experience was absolutely instrumental in increasing my confidence in making the decision to go outside the country on my own. It is my recommendation to you that you also do a test run. Try travelling for extended periods of time to other countries or volunteering a few weeks in a different city. If you can survive that experience, you'll start preparing for a bigger move.
WHEN YOU'VE DECIDED TO GO...do some research! You have got to find out as many things as possible about how living as a Pumpkin Abroad in that place is. Find out about the weather - is it cold is it hot? Can you survive those temperatures. How are the people - are they conservative, liberal, friendly, closed? What's the language like - is it easy to learn, hard to understand a necessity for everyday life? How are the immigration laws and systems - is information readily available, what are the requirements? What's the food like - can I get food from my own country there, do I have to bring some other things I won't be able to find? How is the health care systems - do I need insurance, can I call an ambulance and not have to worry about the bills? You have got to do the research and ask questions. In this digital world, we have plenty of ways to find out information.
Here's a few things I'd suggest:
visit social platforms like Facebook and join groups to ask questions
typing "Foreigners in X", x being city or country is one way
typing "Nationality, religion, race in X", e.g. Arabs in Bratislava or something
connect with people on LinkedIn in similar roles in those countries
watch some reels on Instagram from foreigners about those places
some may seem like jokes but it can paint a sort of picture about cultural norms
also people share useful info about the place or language
review crime stats or health news about that country
read blogs like this one :))
WHEN YOU'RE GOING...be open minded! You have got to understand that you're entering a new country with their own culture and beliefs. In order to make friends, you don't need to lose your values, but you may need to be a little more flexible so that you can start to build a solid network. You need to be outgoing and willing to put yourself out there. Opportunities are usually at every turn and knowing people is one way to find out about them.
So, this was just a little bit of advice from someone who's been out here for a minute. Don't be afraid. Do the research and decide what seems to fit you best. And more importantly, if it doesn't turn out the way you expected, don't worry! You can always try again till you find the right fit for you.
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