What’s it Like to be an Expat

Whether or not you like the country you live in, the time may come when you will need a change. Living your whole life in the same country you were born is not wrong, but moving to another country and culture for a while will bring you a new perspective. They used to say that travel is broadening. And that is still true.

But if you really want to expand your mind, you need to live for an extended period in a place with different priorities and customs. If you are serious about making a change, you should make sure you do your research first. You will want to find a freedom loving country that has a good record on protecting human rights, and you will also need to find out the rules for living there.

How Will you Live: One of the first things you will need to ascertain is how will you support yourself in this new country. Do you have a passive income, like a pension or rent income, that will support you sufficiently?

What is the cost of living where you will go? Or do you plan to work there? If you do want to work in another country, you are going to have to learn the regulations and you will need a long-term visa. For this you should enlist the services of a specialist in the field.

For example, you could contact Acclime for a Thailand work permit application. Searching the Internet will provide you with the relevant information and agency to help you with whatever country it is you wish to work in. You will also need to find an overseas employer.

Adapting to Your New Life: Once you arrive in a new country, you will immediately start to notice the differences, it is at this point where people tend to make mistakes that will colour their experience in a new country. It is important to get a feel for the new country before you start to make judgments about how things are done there. You may think that the way things happen in your own country are the right way, the only way.

If you develop this superiority complex, you will struggle to adapt, and you will soon begin to resent your new home. No country does everything the right way and some things happen for reasons you will understand later. The best approach is to try to do things the local way first, and then if there are things you can’t tolerate, you can go back to what you know. But it is important to try.

The fun of being an expat is living a new life, not bringing your old life to some new place. Reinvent yourself, try all the food, no matter how bizarre, you will find unexpected favourites. You might learn that your old world is missing out on some simple pleasures. And after some time, you will be able to combine your experience from both worlds into a much greater understanding of life and truth, and how we are all just travellers here. Done the right way, being an expat will make you a much better person. It is an adventure that few have the courage to try.