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Settling in to a new country
Moving to another country
is a huge step no matter how well prepared or how confident you
are going into it. I’ve done it a number of times now (for
a variety of reasons) and each time it’s still as stressful
as the first. New sights, new sounds, new people, strange accents
or even a completely new language all add to the mix of excitement
and trepidation. In addition to that there are also all the emotional
aspect to deal with that come from saying goodbye to family and
friends.
How you cope with such an upheaval in your life
and how you adjust to living in a new land will vary greatly from
person to person, and from circumstance to circumstance. There
are some things you can do however when you’re in your new
home to make the settling in process just a little easier but
invariably it all comes down to your own attitude to your new
life. Remember, the better the foundation (socially, financially,
professionally) that you can create for yourself in your new home,
the better you’ll be able to forge a successful life there.
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Learn about where you’re
going
One of the most important things you can do to assimilate and settle
into your new home is to understand and know as much as you can
about the place. In particular local culture, customs and, to a
degree, religion are important to identify with and understand.
While it may take many years, or even a whole lifetime, to completely
understand your new hosts (if you ever understand them at all),
it’s important to know the basics of what morals, ideals and
beliefs are important to them and, more importantly, what are not.
Make sure you are aware of social rules of what is acceptable and
what is not. In some cultures, for example, spitting in public is
considered acceptable while in other countries it is deemed extremely
offensive behaviour. Researching the history of the country you
are going to will help you to understand some of those customs and
behaviours and give you an insight into the country as a whole and
might just help you to understand those instances when you think
the locals are barking mad.
Do the paperwork
Make sure you have all the information you need to obtain things
like Social Security numbers, bank accounts and tax numbers. I don’t
suggest that these chores will necessarily help you settle into
your new home, but they will make you feel like you’re part
of the local populace and once you have all the required formalities
done it’s a handful of headaches less to deal with.
Choosing where to live
Choosing where to live can have a dramatic effect on your overall
happiness in your new home. You may have to take temporary accommodation
for a period of time while you get yourself sorted out with more
permanent accommodation but give some thought to things like public
transport (if needed), travel times to work, the overall ambience
of the neighbourhood you intend to live in, safety, shopping, and
the cost of living in that area. If you have friends or contacts
in a particular area these factors might be more important to you
than anything else. Many new arrivals tend to converge and live
in areas that already have a community of similar migrants or strong
cultural connections to their homeland – anyone who has been
to Earls Court in London knows it’s primarily the first port
of call for many Australians and New Zealanders when they step off
the plane. One significant downside to seeking out, and living near,
similar migrants to yourself is the tendency to be isolated from
the local population – making assimilation that much more
difficult.
Learn the language
If you’re moving to a country where the native language is
anything other than your own try to learn as much of the language
as you can before arriving there and enrol for language classes
when you get there. While it might be possible to survive and get
by in another country without communicating in the local language
to any great degree (I’ve lived in other countries where everyone
was kind enough to speak English to me so there was no pressure
to learn the local language - unfortunately), being reasonably conversant
in the local language will open up whole new possibilities and opportunities
for you. Many migrants who have mastered a new language often feel
empowered and have a sense of self-belief and this often leads to
more opportunities presenting themselves. Don’t be scared
to try to speak in the local language even if you think your skills
are bad. In most places, especially non-English speaking countries,
the locals will normally always give a warm reception to those who
try to communicate with them in their own language. |
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