What to expect when you move abroad

I’m a chronic over thinker who is prone to mild depression and moving and living abroad was and is hard for me.  However, I’m managed to thrive and survive in a few countries (as well as 4 months on Semester at Sea)!  It's obviously overwhelming and scary to hop on a plane and invest yourself into a brand spanking new culture.   I've written below about a few points that were harder for me.  They won't apply to everyone but being aware potential problems is always a good idea.

Sensory Overload:  You will be introduced to new tastes, smells, customs and textures.  It’s overwhelming in the beginning and soon becomes a ridiculous part of your life.  I can’t begin to detail how many times I came into an unknown substance in Korea especially when eating or shopping at a market.  Amsterdam is all about pates, sauces, and dehydrated-intestine-stuffed meats; there are dedicated aisle in the markets are item. (and everything you order will come with a big squirt of mayonnaise).  Also, I’ve seen a crazy amount of dead birds left remaining on the streets for days.  This seems gross to me but it appears to just be how it is.  In India, it’s completely acceptable to blow your nose on the ground in a crowded bus (gag).  And the amount of penises I saw in eight weeks is bewildering especially since I was celibate the entire time.  Honestly, all this things are gross to me but it’s part of the journey so be prepared to come into contact with something that makes you uncomfortable on a daily basis.  

Expect things to be smaller: Cars, houses, grocery stores, refrigerators, kitchens, restaurants, offices, entrées, stove tops, most everything is slightly smaller compared to the US.  I’m sure everyone has heard this but I was still shocked and ready to flee to Bali surprised walking into my apartment for the first time.  For the past 3 years, I’ve had a mini fridge and no freezer in my home as well as a small portable oven.  I also had/have loads of little groceries stores around my homes that I frequent throughout the week.  I felt underprepared when I had no stock food in my freezer or back staples in my fridge but you quickly get used to stopping at the shop on the way home from work.

Addictive foods and Binge Eating;  I swear I’ve developed minor eating disorders every time I move aboard.  There’s always something new I crave desperately for a month.  It’s like a security blanket.  When I first moved to Korea, I would binge eat chocolate and peanut butter.  They were two things that felt normal and when I would get my hands on them I went crazy.  I ate a chocolate bar a day during the first month.  It was sickening.  Once I got used to the foods, and could order a meal at a restaurant and comfortably shop at the super markets my dependency on chocolate and peanut butter slowly went away.  This isn’t really a tip but I struggled with it and I’m sure other people do to.  I was trying to find comfort and was using food to do so.  This was new to me and it was hard to understand what was happening since there were so many new changes in my life. 

New Prices: Don’t move abroad thinking you’ll be able to buy something cheaply.  You will be able to buy certain things cheaply but it probably won’t be the items you had in mind. For example, I wanted to buy a bamboo sushi roller, in Korea it was 400 Won (~.30 cents) and here it’s 5 Euros!  However, in the Netherlands Vanilla cost about 0.50 Euro cents and in Korea it cost about 10,000 won (~9$).  P.S Target is unique to America; you’ll never find an equivalent.

Silence: Typically right before you move abroad you’re very social spending time with your family and friends.  Then you move abroad and your relatively alone.  Sure, people will be nice to you and you’ll go out to dinner but you won’t have close friends and everything is a bit awkward.  The first few mornings of wakening up to dead silence are horrifying.  I couldn’t handle it!  I would wake and run to my computer and pop on The Office.  I needed the noise!  For me, I remedy the situation quickly.  You don’t wake up afraid of the silence and don’t seek to change it.  I found friends quickly developed a very active social life and it wasn’t long before I was loving the quiet before work.  Be ready to be take advantage of every social situation

Unusual Friendships:  Following up, I made friends with some people that I would have never met in California.  And it’s awesome.  Moving abroad is a situation where everyone new or has been new so everyone is nice and looking for friends to share their hobbies with.  We are the outsiders in the overall community and that’s a very uniting factor.  You can walk into Pub Night and ask to join a random group without hesitation, maybe they have room for you, maybe not, but I’m sure you’ll all share a beer afterwards either way. I was invited to go hiking numerous times, rock climbing, soju tasting, out to try dog soup (Yes DOG) and visited a Penis park well within the first few months.  Say yes to everything and don't hold back.

           

Air Drying your Laundry:  Unless you’re willing to spend big money you’ll most likely be air-drying your clothes.  It intimidated me at first but I quickly got used to my clothes drying for a day or overnight.   Accept it now!  It’s not bad and I love the way my clothes smell.

TV:  This one sounds silly but when you’re exhausted by your new life and all you want to do is order take-out and sit in front of the TV, it’s frustrating when you can’t!  In the Netherlands there are a few US channels (TLC, Discovery, National Geographic, CNN) but they’re European versions and don’t show the same shows.  It’s also not too uncommon for documentaries to be dubbed in the countries native language.   Honestly, we don’t even turn on our TV, it’s too unreliable.  Instead we download series or seasons after they’ve ended and watch in own time.  One big plus, you’ll never have to watch a commercial again (muhahhaah) 

Big Note:  Hulu and Netflix don’t work abroad.  A few of my friends bought a U.S. IP address to gain access.  I don’t know how this works but it’s an option if you’re desperate.


These were some of my biggest problems.  I hope they bring understanding to someone about to move abroad.  I'd love to know what other people think.  What were you're biggest issues?  What was your security blanket upon arrival?  Did you gawk of certain prices!?  Is it frustrating or rewarding to talk to people back home about what you're going through?