What it is Really Like to Live Abroad

Maybe not the best title, but it is to the point. I have lived in four different countries in my life. That is probably more than I would have liked. One of these moves was against what I wanted, but it was what was needed. This is a list on troubles you might have when moving abroad.

Language

If you don't speak the same language, everything is harder, especially on a telephone.

This is my biggest problem. I lived in South Africa where I was surrounded by 11 official languages, of which I spoke only one. Then I lived in Ireland, where they spoke English, but with a heavy accent that was often hard to understand. Now I live in Spain where I am faced with a completely new issue. English is not an official language and therefore, very few speak it. I don't speak Spanish, even though I have been trying really hard to learn it for the past year.

Not knowing the language makes it hard to do anything and everything, but it also causes hilarious situations. I have had more awkward exchanges than I care to mention. Just this morning I had a person who kept trying to tell me something in Spanish, even after I said I don't understand in Spanish. This is frustrating, but I got used to it.

Culture 

You need to make sure you will actually like the culture.
It is very different enjoying it on holiday and living with it each day.

Bonus, I don't go out to do things, except hike and watch an occasional movie. I spend my time at home, watching movies, playing games and writing. This means I don't really notice the massive culture differences, except when it is very hard to ignore.

I did not have a culture issue in South Africa or Ireland. I enjoyed South African culture and it felt home to me. Spain on the other hand has a few culture shocks that I am struggling to live with. Luckily, with my job hours being late, I manage to get around one of those culture shocks.

If you plan on living abroad out of choice, double and triple check the culture. Can you really live with it? I want to live in Japan, always did, but I realised after some extensive research that I might not be able to cope with their culture and living situations.

Architecture

Do you like the way the buildings look? You will see it every day, so you need to like it.

This is not something you would usually think about, but when you move from a place like South Africa, you need to think about this. South Africa has large houses with a lot of garden space. The houses are all unique and few are attached. Where most European houses are built high, South Africa builds them wide.

Having lived in South Africa for a long time, I got used to this space. It is also a fun pastime to walk (or drive) around while looking at the houses. When I moved, I didn't think I would be bothered by the lack of space and attached, rather boring, houses, until I moved and realised I do miss the architecture.

Think of what you're used to and what you will have. Will it be better or worse? Also, will you be able to afford the kind of place you want to live in and the kind of place you can afford where you do live?

Family and Friends

Saying goodbye to loved ones is a constant reality. 

This one doesn't really need any explanation. If you have family and friends you leave behind, Skype and Whatsapp doesn't make up for the times you will not have with them. It definitely helps, but missing them can really make your day crappy without you realising it.

Food and Prices  

This is also quite a simple one. You will have to look into what kind of food you can find there and whether it is food you will want to eat. There are a lot nicer tasting food in South Africa that I can't seem to find anywhere else. I also can't seem to eat broccoli anymore, even though it used to be my favourite vegetable. 

Check prices of everything. Can you afford living where you want to live. Will you live of noodles to get by or will you be able to spoil yourself every once in a while? You'd be surprised how expensive some things can be that is usually very cheap where you live now, and vise versa.

Landscape

This photo was taken in the Western Cape, South Africa. It's landscape offers much for the nature-lover.

Not the most important consideration of this list, but definitely something you must consider. Do you love hiking? Where will you go for your adventures? Can you go camping? How does it work? Are there caves to explore? Make sure the country looks like the kind of place you would like to live.

Climate

I used to love cold weather and hate heat, then I moved to South Africa and learned that heat is okay. Now in Spain I hate the heat, but I also don't enjoy the one month of cold we got. It hardly gets cold here. Ireland was always rainy and moldy. I thought I could live with that. I love the rain. I soon found out that I can't handle rain and mold. I also can't really handle this heat. Can you handle the climate you will have for long periods of time? A two week vacation is easy to handle, but long term?

Shops

I got spoiled with the amounts of shopping places in South Africa. You can find anything really easily. Since we left, I have struggled to find everything wherever I go. Shops that you once favourited are now gone, and old habits die hard, which makes it hard to find new favourites.

Animals

In your face. Some pets might be harder to find in some countries.
These cockatoos were taken at Montecasino, Johannesburg, South Africa.

To some people this will be minor and to others it will be a deal breaker. I love birds, but it was an oddity to get parrots in Ireland, whereas they are everywhere in South Africa and Spain. The same with wolves (though South Africa now made it harder to get a wolf). Some pets will be harder to find than others in some places.

If you have a certain pet you see yourself with in the future, check whether they accept those as pets in the country you want to move to. They might have certain protection rules in place if it is an exotic animal. They may also not have them as pets at all.

I hope this list will help those thinking of moving abroad. It is often a great idea until you get there, but if you are prepared for these things, you should be fine. Always plan out big adventures! If you moved to a new country and you have something to add to the list, go ahead, leave a comment and I will add it if needed.