Beating Difficulties in a New Country for Expats
It has been a year since the full outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which has left a negative significant impact on the immigration and mobility sector around the world. Living abroad or traveling for vacations has never been more difficult than it has been in the last year.
This negative impact is a result of strong travel laws for each county trying to prevent further spread of, and casualties of the virus.
Living abroad is a major step to take in anyone’s life as it can be an incredible experience which opens you to more opportunities and ways of life different from the one you’re used to. However, as an expat, you’re faced with challenges you have to navigate each day and this is usually not easy. Most of the time when these challenges or feelings of loneliness arise, expatriates tend to travel home to see family, or get back in the environment they are used to for a while.
Expats versus Social Distancing
Before the outbreak of the virus, it was always easy for expats to travel home. The sense of belonging and the familiarity with the culture and beliefs to home soil is always a relief to migrant workers. This recommended travel relief, however, became extremely difficult in the past year leaving a lot of foreign workers stranded, lonely, and faced with a lot of challenges abroad.
There are usually a lot of challenges you face as an expatriate ranging from loneliness, cultural shock, language barrier, fitting in, and so much more. This article explains these challenges and provides solutions to make you feel more at home.
Obstacles Experienced by Expats
The Language Barrier
This is a typical problem faced by expatriates. When moving to a nation where you don’t speak the native tongue, you should expect to usually have a break in communication or the frustration that comes with not understanding what the next person is saying.
A task as simple as getting a cab ride or getting coffee becomes difficult because the service providers don’t understand what you’re saying.
Culture Shock
This is another recurrent challenge you might face as a migrant worker when moving to a country so culturally different from home. You tend to find yourself lost in some strict cultures and customs which can range from understanding the local sense of humor to religious beliefs, work culture, and local greetings.
Though most of these customs may not be very necessary, being an expat means that you’ve got to learn how to adapt to these cultures. This huge adjustment process breeds frustration in foreign workers and it might take a while to adapt.
Housing
Everyone needs a place to call home especially after a long tedious day at work or somewhere you can be yourself and call your own. This makes housing important to every human but it even becomes more difficult for an expat to rent or own in an unfamiliar housing market.
Cost of Living
For most expats, the cost of living in their home country is significantly lower than in their new country of residence. The cost is usually higher as most foreign workers would not leave their home country for a country with a lesser Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than theirs.
This has a significant impact on taxes, housing fees, electricity, transport, food, household, exchange fees when moving money between banks, and lots more expenses. These high fees can become a source of frustration and poor money management can leave an expat feeling penniless in a short time.
Feeling Far from Family and Friends
While moving abroad is an exciting process and new phase of life, it is always advisable to move with family or your partner if you have the means. Living in a new country without any friends or family around is always a difficult phase to go through.
Feelings of loneliness, accompanied by a strong sense of non-belonging are usually common with expats. It can be difficult making new friends in a new country. Honestly, not everyone has the time or the mental capacity to make new friends so the comfort we find in our family and old friends is sometimes what keeps us going.
Weather
This is another common problem expats face as there might be a huge difference in the weather of your new country as compared to home.
For example, if you’re moving from a tropical continent like Africa to Europe, there’s always a huge difference in weather as the climate in Europe can be extremely cold in the winter as compared to the regular temperate weather in your home country.
This often leads to a change of clothing, spending more on home heaters and electricity, and paying more for suitable housing.
Earning Income
This is a very important aspect of human life as every other benefit and way of life we enjoy depends greatly on the income we make.
Navigating through the job market in a new country can be difficult if the right information on how work is done or understanding the labor market is not available to you.
You might be used to a 9 – 5 job back home but in your new country, what you have available might be an 8 – 6 job. The need for high-priority work might then arise and as an expat, you might not know ways to go about it.
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Making New Friends
Depending on each individual and personal belief, making new friends might be a difficult task for expatriates. The idea of adapting and learning new ways of life might be a big deal for some expatriates and they find it hard to make new friends in their host country.
It is usually logical to make new friends as soon as you move to a new country to get the scope of things of your new environment and this in itself is difficult for expats.
Solutions to Make Expats Feel More at Home
Developing a New Mindset
Moving abroad means calling the new country you are home. If this idea of a new home does not register in your mind, it will be difficult living as an expat. It is always advisable to have that ‘my home’ mentality when referring to your new country or new apartment.
Get a VPN
A VPN is always a recommended must-have for an expatriate. The service providers in a new country are sometimes known to block off services from different regions of the world which may include your home country.
Expats can consider using a VPN to get past this barrier. VPNs are useful as they bypass these restrictions, provide you better security, and keep you connected to your home via different social media networks.
VPNs are also very useful in providing high-speed internet services. They also provide access to various video streaming services like NetFlix, YouTube, and Spotify because they might be unavailable in your region.
Have Familiar Interests
In moving overseas, a lot of things are happening at the same time and your new environment and routine might seem unfamiliar to you.
It is then left for you to make a habit of finding a routine similar to the one you’re used to back home, finding places you love to go, attending events that make you feel alive, eating delicacies you are used to, and making your new home a replica of what you like.
All these activities would ensure that you are in the right state of mind that would keep you from being depressed and feeling lonely.
Always Seek Support
It is common for you to feel lonely in a foreign land to the extent of missing home. It is then left to you to reach out to friends and relatives in these times to avoid this feeling.
The world is now a global village and with as little as a video or voice call back home to friends and family, emotions can be lifted and any feeling of disconnection erased.
Make New Friends
There is no telling of who might come into our lives and lift our moods, emotions, and sense of belonging without us trying. As an expatriate, it is expected that to fit into a new environment, there is a need for friends.
Having friends around is a huge booster for mental health, quality living, and an increased sense of belonging.
Become Self-Aware
Slipping into negative feelings and emotions can be easy as an expat due to overwhelming homesickness. It is therefore very important to increase awareness of these negative emotions that may arise and find ways to tackle them.
It is sometimes very advisable to stay off social media to not feel left out in the world or alone. Being self-aware greatly increases your ability to avoid triggers and emotions that leave you depressed.
Conclusion
Living abroad is always a life-changing and awesome opportunity for most people. Even though it comes with different challenges like the language barrier, homesickness, new weather, and culture shocks, it’s usually more rewarding. You can learn how to deal with these challenges by socializing to make new friends,