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Settling in to a new country (cont.)
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Find your way around
Get to know the local area you will live in.
Become familiar with important facilities like the nearest hospital,
police station, and other localities such as schools, shopping
facilities, banks, doctors, dentists and the like. Spend time
travelling around the area and getting a feel for the area. Purchase
a map of the locality and become familiar with your surroundings
and the facilities that are around you. Many major cities these
days have phone shops where you can make relatively cheap phone
calls home, or access the Internet to send e-mails or chat online.
If you don’t have a phone in your new home you should locate
your nearest such store so you can keep contact with friends and
family at home cheaply. |
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Do some fun stuff
Locate your nearest leisure facilities that take
your interest and join up where appropriate. Be it pottery classes,
amateur theatrics or hard-headed sports, getting involved can
help you to meet people in your area while you’re doing
you something that you enjoy. The fuller you can make your life
the less alienated you’ll feel.
Free education
Check to see if there is any community sponsored classes or courses
for new immigrants to the area. In many places the arrival of new
migrants is considered a good thing for the community and there
are local government paid-for education programs to help new migrants
settle in to the local populace and to educate them on life in their
new country.
Seek out your own kind
Cultural groups can often be a good stepping-stone to making contacts
and finding your way in a new environment. The Irish are a great
example of this. In just about every country I’ve been to
there can be found an Irish club where ex-pat Irish people can gather
to talk (or argue!) about life in the new country, life in the old
country, and just about every other subject in between. If you’re
looking for similar community groups from your own country take
a look in the local telephone directory or even online. Chances
are you won’t be the first or only person from your country
who has settled in this new land, so make contact with others from
the same background – it’s an easy way to get accustomed
to your new home and learn from others who have gone before you.
Even if there are no specific cultural groups in your area, there
might be a ‘foreigners club’ or something similar. Migrants
tend to stick together for support so you might be welcome in a
general migrants club or something similar.
Everyone needs friends
It’s always better to have friends waiting for you in a new
country when you arrive (where possible). Try to make contacts before
you leave so you have people to talk to and ask questions from when
you get there. There’s nothing like having a local show you
around and help you get settled into your new home. The Internet
is making it possible for people all over the world to make contact
and become friends, so you could explore this option if you don’t
know anyone in the country you are going to. Professional (occupational)
organisations, Internet discussion boards and chat sites, and even
Internet dating/friendship agencies are possibilities to look at
if you’re looking to make contacts.
Take care of the kids
Give special consideration to your children if you’re migrating
with family. Even though children are particularly resilient, it
can be particularly tough on children to uproot and start again
in a new environment. Spend extra time with them getting them used
to the area, the school they’ll be attending and making sure
that they are familiar with their surroundings. Pay special attention
that they are aware of the emergency telephone numbers, and other
telephone numbers such as your home or some other adult they can
contact if necessary. When moving with children remember that their
personal possession will mean more to them than perhaps yours do
– and having their personal possessions around them in their
new home will be important to helping them settle.
Remind yourself of home
Although you may not be able to travel with much in the way of personal
belongings, try to bring with you (or have sent over later) items
that have a special meaning or value to you. If you have to start
all over again with new furnishings for an apartment or a house
it probably won’t begin to feel like a home probably for some
time, so it will be the small things that will make it feel like
a home for you in the short run.
Above all, have fun
Enjoy yourself. Enjoy the challenge of a new culture and all the
new experiences that you’re likely to encounter. It takes
a certain type of person to leave their home and all the people
they know to migrate to another country in the first place, so you
should draw on that sense of adventure and excitement and really
try to embrace your new home and all that it offers. Sure, there
are always going to be things that you miss, situations that get
you down, and probably people that will annoy you. But you probably
get most of that at home as well so instead of dwelling on the bad
things concentrate on the good things and you’ll be surprised
at how much easier your new home can be.
Well, those were just a few tips to help you settle into your new
home. No matter where in the world your life takes you, you can
only get out of life what you put in. Remember that there is only
person who can truly make your transition to a new life in a new
country a good one, and that’s you. Be open to new ideas,
new people, new experiences and enjoy yourself. Be willing to adapt
to your new environment and don’t expect your environment
to adapt to you – and you’ll be sure to fit in nicely.
Good luck! |
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