However, not everything is as romantic and easy as it seems on social media. After all, what are the advantages and disadvantages of living in another country? In this article, we will look at the pleasures of building a life elsewhere, but also the negative factors of the experience.
Getting to know new cultures
Living abroad is an enriching experience from a sociocultural point of view. The contact with people and customs different from those you have known until then will make a huge difference in your personal growth and in the way you face the world.
Improve your CV
The experience of living abroad is always well-regarded by company recruiters. This means that spending time in another country will make your CV more interesting and attractive, opening up new possibilities for employment and income, either when you return to your home country or elsewhere
Maturing, responsibility and independence
It is almost impossible to go through the experience of living in another country without maturing, gaining responsibility and greater independence, both financially and emotionally.
This is great because it makes you realize all your potential and capacity to overcome. These characteristics emerge from simple things, such as having to wash your clothes or cook your food, or even more complex things, such as getting a job or being fluent in another language.
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Fluency in other languages
If you're going to live abroad, whether you want to or not, you'll see the need to learn a new language. Apart from English, if it's not your native tongue, you'll also need to learn the local language.
The longer you stay abroad, the greater this need will be, especially in countries where only the local language is used daily.
Travelling even more
Living in any country in the world is practically the certainty of being able to travel even more and, consequently, get to know other places.
If you intend to live in Europe, for example, it is possible to visit numerous countries. Firstly because you will have free passage between them, and secondly because the cost is much lower than if you were leaving from another continent. The same goes for countries on the African, American and Asian continents, for example.
Homesickness is inevitable
The advantages are countless, but every good side has its bad side. For example, moving abroad and missing practically everything is inevitable: family, friends, the city, and the places you used to go to, among many other things.
The homesickness will hit you hard, but in those moments, the best thing is to keep control over your emotions and to relieve this feeling a little by making a video call with your parents, siblings and friends. Not to mention that you'll miss many things, like birthdays, weddings and much more. So, always have your list of happy birthday quotes ready, so you don't forget any special date.
Culture shock
Besides homesickness, living abroad is the daily exercise of dealing with a culture completely different from yours. This difference can be felt in the smallest things that used to be part of your daily life and that now, due to cultural, economic and social differences, no longer are.
This is the case, for example, with greeting people differently, how to behave in some places or some behaviours that are interpreted in one place but are different in others.
You will also have to learn to cope with the numerous gastronomic differences between countries around the world. The local food of your country will hardly be found in the new place you will be living. But this is very natural, and adapting to other cultures is very rewarding.
Change of plans
Be prepared for sudden changes in plans when you are living abroad. It is natural and expected that many things will not go as planned, specifically because you will be dealing with very different places, people, situations and cultures.
So be flexible and willing to adapt to change. A good suggestion is to try to make only short and medium-term plans. Leave the long-term plans until after you are more settled in the new country.
Expectation vs. reality
The idea here is very similar to the previous one, and maybe this is one of the biggest difficulties for those who are going to live abroad. Most of the time, people tend to project expectations much higher than expected, believing that they will arrive abroad with the dream job, live in one of those movie houses and make enough money to fulfil all their dreams.
However, this is not always the case. That is why it is important to keep realistic goals and not create so many illusions. At first, things can be complicated. You will have to adapt to a new country, a new culture and a new language. Besides that, you will still have to support yourself with a job that will not always be the one you believe to be the best. So, take it slow and good luck!