1. Why do I want to move abroad?
Maybe you have watched too many travel movies and the idea
of moving seems wonderful. Was is romanticized? To be very honest, if you want
to move abroad and fall in love, then you might want to have another game plan.
I’m not saying that you can’t move abroad and fall in love, but it may not
happen like in the movies. You may have way more problems trying to find the
true you before you ever find true love. Therefore, I’d really ask myself, “What do I want from this experience?”
before I would go packing my bags. Traveling is great, and living abroad is
even greater, but the best advice I can give you is, know what you want before
you trekking across the globe, unless your sole purpose is to find yourself, in
that case, pack lightly.
2. Is my fear of the
unknown real?
Often times we make up in our heads what is going to happen
before we make any decision one way or the other, and in most cases those
things never occur. Your mind can be your worse enemy when it’s time to do
something that you have never done before. If you really want to live abroad
and you have some fears, then it’s best to stay positive and stay away from
anyone who would discourage you. It’s ok to read about other people’s
experiences, but it best to really get quiet and ask yourself some questions
about where your fear is coming from. Most of the time your fear is imaginary,
I like to use the acronym False Evidence Appearing Real, because
more often than not, your fears are coming from what you heard from someone
else, what you think based off the past, or something that you read. However,
you won’t know until you decide to go and see for yourself. You have to remember
that what other people may want, need, or enjoy is for them. So, their
experience is based off what they deem important, you could miss out on a great
opportunity paying attention to someone’s bad advice based on what they
experienced. You owe it to yourself to step out of your fears and live your own
experience. If you too have a bad experience, then you know that it wasn’t for
you, but you eliminated your fear based of your own knowing and not someone
else’s experience.
3. Do I really want to
move or do I want to take pictures and travel?
I know that you have been looking at pictures of those people
you know or have come across currently living abroad. And the photos are
amazing! You too want to go to Malaysia and trek up 240 something odd steps,
while feeding crazy monkeys just to enter the Bantu Cave, or climb the Great Wall
of China and get lost in the endless maze of wall that seems to disappear in
forever. However, it is important to know that once you move abroad that game
changes. You aren’t a traveler anymore, and although you can still travel and go sightseeing, for the most part, you are a resident. Meaning, you will be immersed
in the culture, customs, and day-to-day living within that country. It’s
exciting at first, but the nostalgic does wear off eventually. Especially,
after a little cultural incident or two occurs and you begin questioning, “Why
am I here?” It happens! However, if you
really, really, really want to live abroad, then those moments don’t discourage
you, they actually add to your experience and strength your journey. So, I am
not trying to scare you, but it is import to realize that there is a vast
difference between traveling abroad than it is to live abroad.
4. Do I have an exit
strategy?
Let’s face it. Bad things can happen. It’s not that you want
them to happen, and it’s not that they will happen. However, it is always
better to be safe than sorry. So, have you thought about what happens if you
get sick, your plan doesn’t work as you thought it would, or if you need to
evacuate due to some confrontation among countries? Things outside of your
control can occur and the best thing to do is have a contingency plan in place
in case of an emergency. I would advise having travel insurance, connecting to
the Embassy and enrolling in STEP (Smart
Travelers Enrollment Program), this will allow you to get travel alerts
while you are traveling, allow the Embassy to contact you in case of a disaster
or civil unrest or emergency, and/or help your family and friends get in
contact with you in case of an emergency. I also think keeping enough money
within reach that will allow you to leave if there is an issue in country or at
home is a great way to stay proactive vs being reactive in a time of disruption.
You never know you could get sick and need surgery or have a family emergency
at home. You want to make sure that you have a plan in place where it won’t
leave you desperate and stuck.
5. Do I have a network
of people supporting my dream?
It’s great to be excited about your new venture to live in
another country, but do you have other people cheering for you? You don’t have
to have a bunch of people with signs and banners yelling your name, but I would
encourage you to have a few great people that you can call on when things get
tough, or you start to doubt yourself. Moving away from everything that you
have always known isn’t always a cake walk, sometimes it gets lonely. However,
when you do have your bad days or moments, it is great to have someone or a
group of people who either understand your journey, or they support you in it.
So, I would encourage you to have a network of other expats who you can connect
with and ask questions, meet occasionally, or you can call upon day or night that
will be there for you and provide good reinforcement and positively. Living
abroad is very exciting and enriching, but there are moments when you find
yourself missing home or feel alone, and you want to connect with someone who
will encourage you. If you are on Facebook there are plenty of groups and I
have one for women living abroad, where you can connect and ask questions. Feel
free to visit us at either Women of Color Living Abroad or Expat Women of
Color, these are closed groups, but they are open to women of all races and
nationalities.
What are some other questions that you would ask yourself
before moving abroad? Are you in the process of moving and need assistance? If,
so I would love to assist you. I am an expat and transition coach and I work
with individuals who are going through change, and I primarily work with those
relocating abroad. Don’t try to defeat the world alone, if you need help
planning, overcoming your fears, or simply need to create a strategy for
finding the right place and work, then I can assist you.
___________________________________________________________________________
Cha is the president of Global Bound Consulting where she coaches’ individuals in transition, provides intercultural training, and speaks to schools, groups, and organizations. She is also the founder of Expat Women of Color, which is a 501C3 organization that helps connect women who desire to live, work, study and/or travel abroad with other women and resources to live abroad successfully. In here spear time, she loves to travel and see the world. You can contact and learn more about Cha through her personal website www.chajones.com or through her blog www.thenomadicchick.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment