Myths About Living Abroad
I have one question… Who lied to you? 😂
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I’ve moved to 4 countries on 4 different continents and this couldn’t be farther than the truth. So, let’s debunk together.
👎🏾 Need to know the language
False. I have NEVER known the language of a country before moving there. You can try to learn it before going, but it’s for sure not required. And for my aspiring teachers, some schools prefer you DON’T speak the language as a guarantee you’ll only be able to speak English with their students.
Dealing with the language barrier is something that just comes with the territory when traveling or living abroad. Studying the language beforehand can definitely give you a head start, but there will always be things that get lost in translation. There's no avoiding it. From slang to accents to idioms and everything in between. Things just happen and you'll have to adjust and just keep rolling with it.
👎🏾 Need to have hella money
False again. I’m not a trust fund baby (although I tell myself I am) nor rolling in cash. Hell, my first year teaching abroad was all volunteer work. There are so many opportunities to travel for the low AND for the free. You just have to find them. I’ve been doing it for years and loving every second of it.
It's no secret that travel is becoming more and more affordable for EVERYONE. Budget airlines, Airbnb, WorkAway, Couchsurfing, and numerous other companies/programs are making it possible to just go. In the past, you may have needed to save for months or years, but things have changed. Furthermore, more people are finding jobs abroad and working remote. Getting paid in another country is not as hard as it might seem.
👎🏾 Have to know people there
Falsity false false. Of the four countries I’ve moved to I’ve only known people beforehand once. Moving abroad is about having a new experience and meeting people is part of that. From host families to friends to coworkers, I’ve never felt alone while living abroad. I’ve always had people to call and things to do.
With more and more people making the switch to the expat life there are communities forming around the world. There are people from all around the world all around the world. Literally. While living in Korea, I met dozens of other Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Those times when you need someone to relate to, you need a break from struggling through the language barriers or just want some culture there are people there for you. This may go against everything you were taught, but TALK TO STRANGERS. Say hello to people, get on a dating/friends app, go to that language exchange meeting. The opportunities to meet people are abundant. You just have to be willing to hop up out of your comfort zone and find them.
So, there's a lot of information floating around, but don't believe the hype and make sure you do your own research. Moving abroad may seem daunting and scary at first because, to be honest, sometimes it is, but the challenge is to do that shit anyway. •
What other things (or myths) have you heard about living abroad? Let’s see if it’s true or not 😂
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