In this part of my moving abroad 101, you learn about how knowledge and information can save you a lot of trouble when moving abroad. Read part i and ii and follow the fun on Facebook.
Gather information
I have met people who unfortunately had to face setbacks because they moved abroad without gathering enough information about their new home. Enchanted by the endless sunshine and exotic vibes, they moved to a place hoping they would find work in a local shop or café and then take it from there. What they didn’t bear in mind were the employment laws concerning foreigners that made it basically impossible for them to follow their plan.
Hard facts about the social, economic and political situation as well as the history and culture of a place will help you avoid such disappointments.
How you can find out about those things? Ask. Luckily, the internet provides amazing opportunities: connect with people who already live in your desired country, read local news online, join the Couchsurfing community or find relevant groups on Facebook, order books and find interesting reads online (don’t forget to follow sandals in winter!) .
You would love to spend a year in Italy? Maybe there even is a community of true Romans living in your city that meets up regularly and can’t wait to tell you everything about their home country!
Learn the language
When I started learning Arabic, I loved it from the first minute – I sure was very lucky and it can take a bit longer to find out whether you like a language/find it easy to learn/etc. or not, but taking some lessons and speaking to locals (e. g. during your first longer stay – as suggested in part i of this series) should give you a good general feeling for whether you will feel comfortable in a place and also help you to get an idea about the culture and traditions of your new home.
– stay tuned for part iv, in which I will speak about building a network and the beauty of having two homes –
sandals in winter 