I have officially reached the two-year mark. Yey, fireworks! Now I can say that I've actually lived abroad. Funny how I told myself when I arrived here that "I'll give Malaysia two years". Yeah right. Looks like it's going to be more than that. If my first year felt really fast, I'd say this time it really feels like I've spent two years here. Like I've spent a good amount of time here but not that long yet.
So instead of writing about how I feel and being all dramatic about how much my life has changed and all that in such a short time, I want to share some stuff I've learned so far about living abroad and some things to think about for someone who plans to do so.
1.) Living abroad can be overrated. I remember thinking before that people who get to live in a different country are so lucky. That they've achieved a lot and have managed to open up various opportunities for themselves. These remain true in many ways for a lot of people but once you're there, it's not all that.
2.) If you're married, think twice before leaving. Even if your intentions are to provide for your family, being away from them simply may not be worth it. Contemplate really hard if your relationship with your wife, husband, kids, family, etc. is strong enough to stand the test of being away from each other because it will really test the relationship. However, if you can bring your family along with you within three months of your stay abroad then by all means, go ahead!
3.) If you're single, you'll need to learn to detach yourself from things you cherish at home or the lifestyle you had. You should accept the fact that you'll be doing some things on your own and that your family and friends will not be physically near you. If not, you'll just get too homesick and will not stand being away from the life you had and will probably have the same problems as a married person being away from his or her family.
4.) Learn new things. If you're going abroad anyway, might as well get to learn something that country is known for or something they're good at. In my case, I'm learning yoga. For other people they learn a new sport or indulge in a new hobby. For one thing, at least you get to do something other than going to the mall or cleaning your house.
5.) Travel as much as you can. It doesn't matter if it's within the city you're in, within the country, or the region. Go around and look around. It helps in understanding what "abroad" really means. Go to the places where the locals like going to. Don't limit yourself to the tourist areas. Haven't you ever wondered why foreigners and expats in the Philippines sometimes tend to travel around the country more than Filipinos? Because they're naturally disposed to do so.
6.) Expand your tastebuds. Face it, you won't be eating Pinoy food everyday. So don't be too narrow minded to believe that Pinoy food is the best in the world (which, really, is not though I will still love it forever) and learn to eat and appreciate foreign food. I shall digress a bit, it annoys me sometimes when a Pinoy eats some foreign food and says "Di masarap, hindi lasang Pinoy". I mean, duh, of course it doesn't taste Pinoy because it's not! C'mon guys, there's so much out there other than adobo and sinigang.
7.) Be open-minded and culturally sensitive. If they do something that you don't, try to understand why first before concluding that they're weird or strange. If Muslims need to fast for a month during Ramadan and cannot eat pork ever or even be near it, or have to pray five times a day, then respect that. In general, don't diss a culture because it's different from yours. Instead, get to know it more to understand it fully.
8.) Remember that in whatever you do or wherever you go abroad, you will represent your country and your culture. Though I would say that one should be himself at all times, we should still be aware of that responsibility and strive to leave a good impression. In addition, talk positive about your country and countrymen. It helps a lot.
So instead of writing about how I feel and being all dramatic about how much my life has changed and all that in such a short time, I want to share some stuff I've learned so far about living abroad and some things to think about for someone who plans to do so.
1.) Living abroad can be overrated. I remember thinking before that people who get to live in a different country are so lucky. That they've achieved a lot and have managed to open up various opportunities for themselves. These remain true in many ways for a lot of people but once you're there, it's not all that.
2.) If you're married, think twice before leaving. Even if your intentions are to provide for your family, being away from them simply may not be worth it. Contemplate really hard if your relationship with your wife, husband, kids, family, etc. is strong enough to stand the test of being away from each other because it will really test the relationship. However, if you can bring your family along with you within three months of your stay abroad then by all means, go ahead!
3.) If you're single, you'll need to learn to detach yourself from things you cherish at home or the lifestyle you had. You should accept the fact that you'll be doing some things on your own and that your family and friends will not be physically near you. If not, you'll just get too homesick and will not stand being away from the life you had and will probably have the same problems as a married person being away from his or her family.
4.) Learn new things. If you're going abroad anyway, might as well get to learn something that country is known for or something they're good at. In my case, I'm learning yoga. For other people they learn a new sport or indulge in a new hobby. For one thing, at least you get to do something other than going to the mall or cleaning your house.
5.) Travel as much as you can. It doesn't matter if it's within the city you're in, within the country, or the region. Go around and look around. It helps in understanding what "abroad" really means. Go to the places where the locals like going to. Don't limit yourself to the tourist areas. Haven't you ever wondered why foreigners and expats in the Philippines sometimes tend to travel around the country more than Filipinos? Because they're naturally disposed to do so.
6.) Expand your tastebuds. Face it, you won't be eating Pinoy food everyday. So don't be too narrow minded to believe that Pinoy food is the best in the world (which, really, is not though I will still love it forever) and learn to eat and appreciate foreign food. I shall digress a bit, it annoys me sometimes when a Pinoy eats some foreign food and says "Di masarap, hindi lasang Pinoy". I mean, duh, of course it doesn't taste Pinoy because it's not! C'mon guys, there's so much out there other than adobo and sinigang.
7.) Be open-minded and culturally sensitive. If they do something that you don't, try to understand why first before concluding that they're weird or strange. If Muslims need to fast for a month during Ramadan and cannot eat pork ever or even be near it, or have to pray five times a day, then respect that. In general, don't diss a culture because it's different from yours. Instead, get to know it more to understand it fully.
8.) Remember that in whatever you do or wherever you go abroad, you will represent your country and your culture. Though I would say that one should be himself at all times, we should still be aware of that responsibility and strive to leave a good impression. In addition, talk positive about your country and countrymen. It helps a lot.
1 comment:
Hi Ben,
I enjoyed reading your latest post and have recommended it to a network of people planning to live abroad. Expect heavy traffic towards your site ;-D
Post a Comment