[ENG] 26 things you can learn by living abroad - my personal view

I found an article which presents very interesting aspects of living abroad. I'll comment you the ones I find relevant.

1) It's fairly easy to move and take a new place as your home

Won't say the contrary after 2 years abroad ^^

2) it's also easy to meet people

If you decide to, yes !

3) Some relationships last, others are just circumstantial

The more I've been traveling, the more I've witnessed this. Some friendships lasts even there is no contact everyday nor very often. But when there is contact, it's frank, friendly, it feels like home, like nothing changed at all. I think it's a soul-thing !

4) Expat friends are easy to find. Local friends much harder

If with "expat", the author means "people that are foreigners like you living in the same country but not necessarily FROM the same country", then I'd say : yes it is! As I was in Klagenfurt and traveling around Europe, I meant essentially foreigners like me. But this trend tends to change and I begin to find it easier to mean "local" people especially since Frankfurt and Poznan.

5) Without speaking the language, it's hard to fully understand and integrate a culture

It depends. I would say, speaking a few words, being able to make oneself understood is enough... even if the grammar is not optimal (trust me, I live in Poland ;) )

6) It's also very hard to avoid isolation

Sometimes, yes it is !

7) But you'll never be as local as the local people : keep your identity

8) People are surprisingly nice and helpful everywhere

9) But sense of humor & metaphors can easily be misunderstood

Be careful with this! I always wait to know better the people I want to make jokes with, before using humor.

10) You soon realize that being abroad changes your perspective of where you come from

Mainly because we see our country from far away, through other media in foreign languages... Yes, it helped me change the vision I had from France.

11) And that life goes on with or without you

12) We don't change too much when travelling but things change even less back home

I don't agree with this one. I changed a lot through my travels and study abroad. I became more aware of all the differences that exist between people, cultures, ideas and mentalities, thus more flexible to handle them, more open minded, more interested, more patient in order to let time to the people I meet to express exactly what they want to and, I've become more sensitive.

13) You'll probably miss your friends and family. It's much harder to center your life without them

Yes I miss them in a way, but I know they are living their lives on their own, and that -when we meet again - things would not have changed that much between us =) This counts for the French friends but also for the friends met abroad, that I'm visiting in their own country!

14) But having things or people waiting for you somewhere else makes it easy to give up

15) Comfort comes when you get your own place

16) But like everywhere else, routine sets in as you work

17) And you realize that it's hard to have time and money to travel no matter where you are

18) And that being close to a destination does not necessarily mean you'll actually get to see it

I see it here, in Poland, where I planned to visit the whole country...but now i'm not sure I'll be able to do it all !

19) Abroad, the most dangerous thing is the downward spiral : when everything starts to suck

20) It can be frustrating dealing with and understanding people from another culture but people are rarely racist

Of course, there are still Clichés, but taken with humor and playing with that helps maintaining a good communication and relation. Not all baguette and frosh eaters are fashion and romantic people going around with a scarf and cheese in the pocket ;)

21) It's just naturally harder to trust and understand people from another culture

I would not say "trust", but understand, I agree. Trust has more to do with intuition and I think one can trust everyone who's worth it, even from another culture. Of course, not polish people who are thieves {cliché} !

22) Since we naturally see things through our own culture's eyes

23) Which doesn't mean that you'll automatically be friends with people from your home culture

Yes that's true! I often tend to do exactly the contrary and avoid french, while I'm abroad, simply because I like it to be in contact with other points of view! How can you grow if you stay with the culture you've grown up in? I would find it a bit sad if I would only stay with french people while living an international experience!

24) But, ultimately, there's good and bad things everywhere. Maybe another city would suit you better

Yes! And the city alone, doesn't make everything. I deeply think that the people are more important than the location (oh oh, isn't it the same conclusion than in the movie into the wild ?) ;)

25) Moving away is not about having fears or not, it's about how well you face your fears

26) Life is more flexible than we think. With enough work, almost everything in life can be changed.

Understood ? Traveling is a experience that changes you, your spirit, your point of view, your open-mindedness. So go for it and travel as much as you can !

Thank you for having read this article!