Ideas to feel more like home when you are working in another country

When you have just moved abroad for work, the most urgent thing you probably have in mind is adjusting as fast as possible: finding convenient accommodation, getting to know the best means of transportation to work, choosing a place for lunch, and having your residency papers in order. Weeks later, everything is settled and things are going all right, but suddenly you feel that something is missing. Homesickness sneaks in and the absence of people and things back home starts to bother you. Most times you can’t just rush to the airport and fly back to your country, so all you can do is make life abroad feel more like home. Here are some ideas that will ease the beginning of expat depression you are probably experiencing right now:

1. Personalise your room

Four bare walls will definitely not help you feel like home. Decorate your room with some photos of you and your family, and buy something that you like, such as a nice bedspread or a new curtain. Feeling cosy will help you adapt more easily to your new life.

2. Walk more

Using public transit or a car makes you miss beautiful places and street experiences such as a chic bookstore or a friendly coffee shop. When you’re in a car, streets become simple trajectories and you no longer immerse in a city’s culture.

3. Stuffed animals

It’s impossible to take your entire bedroom from home with you, but bringing your favourite stuffed animal makes any place feel homier.

4. Celebrate holidays

You think there’s no point in decorating your home abroad for Christmas? You are wrong – we tend to associate holidays with home and just a few decorations can go a long way when holidays find you alone in a foreign country.

5. Eat your favourite food

Although traditional food from home can be hard to find in a foreign country, cooking your favourite recipe however you can will help you fill the void in your stomach and in your heart too.

6. Be open to new experiences

When it comes to feeling like home when you are abroad, the trick is to mix old with new. Trying to feel exactly like in your hometown is impossible and filling the walls of your new room with dozens of childhood photos will actually cause you to ignore reality. The idea is to create a new feeling of home, and in order to do that you’ll have to accept the unfamiliar as well. Which takes us to the next point:

7. Learn the local language

The atmosphere will feel less foreign if you know at least the basics of the local language. No one asks you to become fluent in a few weeks, but not being able to say more than “Hello” and “Thank you” won’t help you feel like home at all.

8. Travel somewhere else

This may sound like a strange piece of advice, but think about that: when you are returning from your travel, you’ll see your new city like home or a place you are coming back to.

9. Get a plant

Plants are an indication that a room is home. Having to water you green buddy will help you feel tied to your new place. Some fresh flowers work as well if you don’t intend to spend too much time in a place or you don’t have the commitment needed to cultivate a potted plant.

10. Show off your place

Take some pictures or shoot a video of your new room. You can also present it to friends and family during a video chat. Bonus: you’ll feel obliged to clean your room, which will help you feel more relaxed and pleased in the place you’re trying to make familiar.

11. Get help from other people

Having to figure it out all by yourself in an unfamiliar place can make anyone feel unsettled. We all say how indifferent and self-sufficient humankind is nowadays, but the truth is there still are people who would go above and beyond to help you when you are in trouble or overwhelmed. The important thing is to be open to assistance and to know how to accept it. Offering a thank you gift afterwards can be the first step towards a great friendship.

12. Make friends

Speaking of friendship, it has been found that what makes people lead a happy life is having fulfilling social connections. The most important piece of advice when it comes to making friends is not waiting for people to come to you. Make the first step and start networking. The easiest way to start is finding other expats, although meeting locals is also a good method of making friends. Try to implement these ideas, and before you know, you’ll say to your colleagues from work that you’re going home, and not to your place or to your room.
Have you managed to adjust to your new life yet? Tell us about your experiences!

 

7 ways to learn a foreign language when you’re working abroad

You are working overseas and you intend to become fluent in a foreign language?
You’re very lucky, because language immersion (or living in the country whose language you are learning) is one of the best methods for improving your language skills, and it’s particularly recommended to adults. Other people are paying for expensive language courses or move abroad for a while just to brush up their Spanish or Italian, while all you have to do is listen to people around you, pluck up your heart, and start communicating in the language you are learning. However, we know that language immersion may not be the main reason why you have moved abroad and most of your energy is probably going to work. This is why we have gathered some tips for you so you learn a new language while working abroad more easily.

1. Spend time with native speakers

You may be tempted to stay around fellow countrymen because you’re feeling homesick, but you’ll become fluent much faster if you spend time with locals. Living with native speakers is even better as you’ll spend more time using your foreign language skills. Look for a family with a spare room and even choose someone who doesn’t speak any English at all – this way you’ll be forced to learn faster. You’ll practice your new language in the most unexpected moments and even when you don’t feel like doing it. It may sound scary, but the benefits of doing this are huge.

2. Keep a vocabulary book with you

You’ve heard a word you didn’t understand in the middle of a work meeting? Write it down and find out later what it means. Don’t worry if you can’t spell the word correctly, just use a phonetic guess if you don’t like the idea of asking other people about the spelling and meaning right on the spot. When you have a spare moment, open up your vocabulary book, review some of the words you have learnt recently, and feel happy about your progress.

3. Stop using English

English is extremely popular and you’ll find someone able to speak it almost everywhere you go. However, don’t fall into the temptation of using this language with locals. Some of them may be extremely willing to practice their English, but don’t cave into their desire. Keep on using the local language, even if people reply to you in English.

4. Don’t be shy

Those who are learning a foreign language know very well how it feels to be afraid or ashamed to talk to a native speaker. You are wondering all the time if you are making mistakes and sometimes you need long seconds and lots of “Aaaahs” and “Uhms” just to ask for directions or to make an order at the restaurant. Consider the following exercise – a foreigner comes to your home country and tries to speak in your native language. What is your attitude? You’d probably be thrilled and happy to see someone trying to fit in, especially when your native language is not English. You wouldn’t care about their mistakes and you would be happy to instruct them on the right pronunciation. So, if someone laughs at your clumsiness, it’s their problem, not yours!

5. Be open to opportunities

A friend from work has invited you to the flea market next Saturday and you’re not sure if you want to go? If you are not going there to find a bargain, at least accept the invitation for the sake of expanding your vocabulary. Never miss an opportunity to learn new words and talk to locals. Moreover, learning how to negotiate in a foreign language is always a nice skill to have. If you are feeling safe about going out to a specific place and you are not pressured, the right thing to do is to say “Yes”.

6. Learn by yourself as well

Just living and working in a foreign country is not a guarantee that you’ll achieve fluency in a few months. You’ll still need to use formal learning methods, such as practicing grammar, maintaining a vocabulary book, and listening to audiobooks. The important thing afterwards is to practice what you’ve learned with the locals.

7. Don’t give up

When learning a foreign language, you’ll have your ups and downs. One day you’ll find it very easy to chat with your neighbours and the next day you’ll have a headache reading an email at work. Keep in mind that when you acquire knowledge it takes time for the information to accumulate and sometimes you may need a break or some rest before being able to string sentences together. Whenever you’re having a difficult moment, think of what you have achieved so far and give yourself a pat on the shoulder – you deserve it! In the end, the best piece of advice when learning a new language is practicing A LOT. Speak as often as you can and before you know it you’ll become fluent. Try any possible method and arm yourself with tons of confidence.

 

7 Tips on how to announce your family you are planning to work overseas

Moving abroad for work does not only come with a lot of organization and planning – plane tickets, baggage, accommodation, residency papers, and so on. Actually it starts with one very difficult trial – telling your loved ones you are leaving. Making the big announcement to the family definitely is an issue and you might shed a few tears, while telling people at work that you’re moving away is much simpler. Consider the following pieces of advice and you’ll overcome this obstacle with less pain.

1. Be sure about your decision

This first step is vital, especially when your family is not particularly supportive or they are not used to respecting your decisions. If you think they’ll start nagging so you change your mind, make sure you won’t be influenced by what they say. Know in your heart that working abroad is the right move and your confidence will be obvious in front of your family.

Making the announcement with poor confidence will have negative consequences for you and your family will justly feel entitled to discourage you from leaving. Eventually they will give voice to those tiny doubts you were trying to ignore and you’ll end up making a major change in your life while dealing with uncertainty.

2. Put yourself in their shoes

You need to be understood, but your family needs empathy as well. Don’t let them think you are leaving without any regrets. There are multiple reasons why they may not like the idea of you moving abroad for work: not valuing international experiences, being nationalistic (it can happen with older generations), being afraid of not seeing someone dear for a long time, or having different expectations from your life. If your family is one with conventional wisdom that will be blown away by your big announcement, you’ll have a bit of a headache and looking indifferent will not make your folks happier.

3. Be an effective communicator

Hands Touch

Nobody wants to get into an argument after making such an important announcement and you’ll need a lot of tact and patience for that. First of all, prepare your speech in advance rather than just popping in and saying your plane leaves tomorrow. Remember that being a good communicator also means being a good listener. Even if you and your family have different ways of thinking, you need to stay calm and support your point of view with eloquence while allowing them to express their opinion as well.

4. Show them how to keep in touch

Whatever they think about your plans, you need to maintain the relationship through phone calls or on Skype. If your parents are not too digitally-savvy show them how to keep in touch online or over the phone. It’s better to organize a “training” session now rather than explaining how to make a video call on the phone.

5. Organize something nice

Many people who move abroad organize a family event to make the big announcement, such as a dinner or a picnic. Making an effort to break the news in a pleasant atmosphere is a sign of appreciation and a reinforcement of your affection. Moreover, when you organize something for your family you get your foot into the door and the audience will feel obliged to listen to what you have to say. Meanwhile naysayers will have to temperate their objections and abstain from telling how you don’t have to go abroad to find what you need in life.

6. Prove you are mature

This kind of news is hard to make by people who have their own families, and it’s even harder for those who are young and still financially dependent on their parents. The truth is that becoming an expat is not as glamorous as movies depict it. Here are just a few challenges you’ll face: having to negotiate rent, sorting out residency papers, making sure your employer follows work regulations, not having someone to talk to when you’re feeling low, struggling to become fluent in a new language, and feeling homesick. Discuss these aspects with your parents and show them that your plans of working overseas are not chasing unicorns.

7. Be prepared to feel guilty…

… and find a way to cope with it. Your family may support you in your new venture, but this doesn’t mean they won’t be sad. Maybe they’ll say they’re happy for you until the last day and when you say the final goodbyes at the airport, you’ll suddenly realize how sad they are. Sooner or later, regrets surface and can make you wonder if you have made the right decision. Some families are more open to the idea of an international lifestyle, while others will be devastated by the news. However, if you know that working abroad is a good decision, all you need to do is follow the steps above to remain a supportive member of your family even if you are planning to move far away.

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