Before I went abroad I asked myself 10 questions...

[Erik Episcopo]

Hey Guys,

Along my journey I have met many a disgruntled and whiny expat. It’s not that these people weren’t “builtâ€￾ to live abroad, it’s the fact that they weren’t prepared to live abroad.

I find its best to set goals for yourself and do proper research on what you can expect before you move abroad. If you don't, you are likely run into a lot of difficulties during your stint as a teacher abroad. So before I left I ask myself ten questions. Here are a few:

Do I have goals that I want to accomplish while I am abroad?
Am I willing to work under different cultural standards?
Do I understand that my time abroad is not a vacation?
Am I a flexible person?/Can I remain calm when things don’t go my way?

I answered yes to each one and made the decision to live abroad. My has been an amazing adventure and I haven't gone back home for three years.


So do you agree? What were your goals and expectations before moving abroad? Did you meet those goals?

Here are the goals and expectations I set for myself: https://resumegenius.com/everything-nee ... ish-abroad.

Let me know what you think.

[Hero]

Thanks, great info.

[hammanta]

[Ghost]

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[Erik Episcopo]

I haven't moved abroad yet but I'd like to mention a few (similar to your #2) that I think are huge:

- Am I willing to adapt to the ways of the society I will be living in. Not just work conditions but daily life.
- Will I be comfortable with always being the "foreigner" in the eyes of the locals
- Am I moving abroad only for women or for a whole new cultural perspective
- Will I set a plan to do things outside of making money or will I be a recluse, anti-social person

Great questions Hammanta! Ghost I also agree that you need to travel with a purpose. I have come in contact with many expats that just float around from job to job chasing women. They don't take any time to appreciate the culture and go out and explore. Its a quite a pity that this opportunity goes to waste.

[KokujinKrusader]

I haven't moved abroad yet but I'd like to mention a few (similar to your #2) that I think are huge:

- Am I willing to adapt to the ways of the society I will be living in. Not just work conditions but daily life.
- Will I be comfortable with always being the "foreigner" in the eyes of the locals
- Am I moving abroad only for women or for a whole new cultural perspective
- Will I set a plan to do things outside of making money or will I be a recluse, anti-social person

Great questions Hammanta! Ghost I also agree that you need to travel with a purpose. I have come in contact with many expats that just float around from job to job chasing women. They don't take any time to appreciate the culture and go out and explore. Its a quite a pity that this opportunity goes to waste.

That is true, and while I love money and püh, working and banging alone get tiresome without having a greater purpose.

[Bao3niang]

1. Am I prepared to encounter new ways of thinking, whether I agree or disagree with them?

2. Am I willing to deal with the loss of some things that I have in my home country?

3. Am I racist and xenophobic?

4. Am I willing to eat new kinds of food and be exposed to new customs?

5. Am I a routine workaholic or do I want to live an adventurous life? (AKA Living to work vs. Working to live)

6. Am I open to dating and marrying foreign women / men?

7. Do I really want to experience and immerse myself or am I content being a tourist?

8. Will it hurt my nationalistic pride to encounter people that bash my home country, are indifferent to it, and may be more educated
about the truth than I am?

9. Am I willing to learn a new language..... At least to the point where I can make myself understood in most things in daily life?

10. AND FINALLY...... MOST OF ALL....... Am I just sick of the Anglosphere? (I guess all of us on HA know the answer)

If you do not take that step, you will never know. You will be brainwashed by paranoia that the Anglo governments and media portray and be stuck forever. It's not always easy and you must certainly not go abroad to live with rose colored lenses, but in the end..... It is HA!

[In2dadark]

Good points here. I was happier in Germany. Went out more, traveled the country & explored. The only time depression set in was when I had to go back to the barraks & be among americans, not of my choosing. I've been over studying this for a couple of years now. No longer waiting on what I was waiting on. Things will not go my way a lot of times. I'm set in my ways; but they're ways I don't really care to keep. I'll get off the internet a LOT more. I'll be away from stalkers. Why am I still sitting here typing this? haha

Car's in the body shop. Thinking of what I'll do if I really like it. I'll have to come back & liquidate. That might be the part I dread the most.

[xiongmao]

Great posts. Yes I was pleased I went to China with a purpose (finding a wife). Well there was no guarantee that I was going to find The One, but I had a great time there all the same.

In Thailand I went with the vague plan of finding out more about women, and, well that was a good country to do that in.

Now in Spain I'm doing my CELTA which will open many more doors for me. Too many doors in fact. It's also nice to go somewhere completely new and somewhere I did not spend any time researching. So far I have discovered that the food here is exceptional. I've eaten out all the time, and not had one bad meal. It's telling that none of the other CELTA students on my course want to go and teach in China. I guess when you're used to Catalan cuisine it would be horrendous to go to China lol.

I should do more work here, but I think the laid back Catalan lifestyle is rubbing off on me. Nobody in my apartment seems to do much except cook and watch TV. It's good for me to relax a bit though, and it's partly why I came here in the first place.

I can recommend not going abroad to do the usual tourist stuff though. I was just shocked at how many pickpockets and other scammers there were in the tourist bits of Barcelona today. My local neighbourhood is much safer (and cheaper as well).

One thing that's changed about me since travelling is that I'm a lot more tolerant of bad living conditions and other stuff that used to irritate the hell out of me. My room in Spain is not great, but I'm making the most of it.

My top tip for travelling is that if you take only one thing abroad, take ear plugs. Then you can sleep whenever you want, regardless of what other people are doing.

[durgaprasadzone]

thanks for sharing info...............

[Travel Dude]

I have been living in Peru for over 3 years. To succeed and not return home, you need to do one thing....You must work. You can work here or another country setting up your own business, teaching or whatever. If you have the fantasy of bringing your monthly retirement money and play all day, you will get frustrated and bored very soon. Remember, you are not on vacation. You need a routine, not just getting drunk and screwing around with the locals.

I love Peru and Latin America. The low cost, the beautiful women, the food etc... Find your own niche and think outside the box. Here in Peru, they love Americans but hate our government.


If anyone needs advice, just message me.

[gsjackson]

How do you work the visa extension in Peru?