Anniversaries have a tendency to inspire the nostalgia in all of us. We remember the past and either celebrate or commemorate the events that led us to where we our today.
In February I celebrated my 7th year living in South Korea and my 7th year living abroad. While reminiscing, I remembered many mistakes I made and what I was able to learn from them. So I decided to condense all my 7 years of experience into 7 not so obvious tips to living abroad. I apologize in advance, I’m not the best writer.
1, Embrace the food and the people
This one probably is the easiest to do and the hardest to accomplish. Living abroad is filled with changes, both personally and externally. New places, foods, and societal systems are a constant source of both stress and joy. Embrace all these changes. Try new things and become acquainted with the food and culture of the country where you are staying.
When I recently moved into my new neighborhood on the south side of Seoul. I went looking for a new favorite restaurant, and new favorite shops where I could always eat my local comfort food on days when I was feeling tired or down. It always makes those rough days easier. It’s very easy for us to become detached from the local communities in which we are a foreigner. It’s even easier for us to find communities of other expats and completely ignore the unique opportunities given to us due to living abroad. We have this habit as humans to find people just like us and surround ourselves with them constantly. Fight this urge and find people who are different. You’d be surprised at what you learn and what you can experience. Not everyone gets this chance, take advantage of it.
2, Embrace where you are from
Whenever I’m out and about, on the bus or subway. I am reminded of a quote by the comedian Mike Myers
"There is nobody more Canadian than a Canadian who no longer lives in Canada"
This speaks to me on a certain level, as much as we try to assimilate into a foreign country and become close to the culture and people around us. We should also embrace where we come from and what our home countries have to offer.
For me as a Canadian, it’s having a little bottle of maple syrup in the fridge, and going to Canada day every year in Seoul. It gives me a sense of pride in not only being able to experience the culture of the country I’m living in, but also sharing the wonderful things my own country has to offer.
Sharing is how we learn and how we grow. Many people want to know what our homes are like, and we should feel a little honored that we (in our own way)are representatives of where we come from.
3, Stand up for yourself (but don’t sweat the small stuff)
Being a foreigner is both a blessing and a curse in many ways. You are sometimes treated very well, and sometimes people see you as a opportunity to scam or con you out of money of your belongings.
So many times I’ve seen people taken advantage us because they don’t want to rock the boat. They just let others take advantage of them and as a result have a more negative experience. Remember even if you are a foreigner, you deserve to be treated fairly, and equally. If you feel someone is trying to scam or cheat you, stand up for yourself. Don’t let the scammer get away with something, especially if it’s well-known to be illegal.
On the other hand, don’t sweat the small stuff. Over the past seven years there have been many times when a cab driver took a longer route to the destination in order to make a extra dollar or two. Or times when I’ve been charged a little more than the locals for the same product, or even just times when people talked about me in Korean in front of me, assuming I could not understand. Ignore those small stuff, if it’s something so small that it doesn’t have any effect on you or your day. Then leave it is and let it go.
Don’t get into a argument with a cab driver over a dollar. But stand your ground if you believe you’ve been treated unfairly.
4, Learn to navigate
This one is one of the most general and practical tips that can be applied to living not just abroad but anywhere you go.
Learn how to read a map, or at least how to use the local map applications. Seriously it makes life so much easier. Knowing where to get places and how to get to those places easily and quickly is one of the most useful skills to have in life, and especially if you are living in a foreign country.
5, You will be lonely
One of the hardest parts about living abroad is missing family and missing friends back home. No Christmas family get together, no Sunday afternoon barbecues. You are likely thousands of kilometers from home, and it will be lonely.
So many of us feel lonely and feel sad, especially around the holidays. It’s ok, we all have those moments. If you are reading this before you move abroad, teach your family to use Skype before you leave. Now more than ever before, it’s become easier to stay in touch with our family. Stay in touch with your family, and plan ways to share your experiences with them. I’ve found it helps during the holidays to share those experiences with them more often, so you feel more connected.
6, Don’t be afraid to ask for help
All of us expats at one point or another have been new to this, we’ve all gone through the standard trials and tribulations of being a recent expat. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help with something you don’t know or don’t understand. Most of us are more than willing to share some of our experience with a new expat.
7, Take the long way round
This one is the last tip I have and the most important I feel personally. Regardless of every other tip and everything I could impart on you the reader today is this. Slow down and take the long way round, take the scenic route.
When we live abroad we are so often preoccupied with our jobs and our busy schedules that we often ignore the beauty of the places that surround us daily. Take the extra 10 minutes to get to work to walk through the park in the morning. Take the bus instead of the subway when it’s feasible. Enjoy witnessing a new environment. You never know what you’ll find.