This blog is roughly, if not closely based on my experiences along with the experiences of the people I know. The interpretation by me may not be totally correct but you should not take my word for it, take your leap of faith and experience it yourself!! and that's the intention I had when I thought of writing a blog on this topic. Only if I can inspire any person to take up the quest for searching new experiences, to become a Global Citizen.
It is a dream of every teenage person to live in a foreign country as the early times of their teenage they are exposed to the world of sitcoms!! It could be something else too, what matters are the inspirations for getting the motivation to move, and not just wander but to live and thrive. It just doesn't stop there, with the advancement in information technology, where we had to wait for a movie to release in the theater near us but now the times have changed, with the touch of a button we can live stream any movie or TV series online!! not only on our mobile but also on our personalized home theater system too. Times have changed and so are the conditions to travel and stay in a foreign country.
It is a big decision for an individual to leave behind the stable life in their home country and move to a totally new place, be it for studies or for a better lifestyle, the glamour of a developed country hasn't faded a bit over decades. So, all said and done, should one move to a new country or no? Of course yes!! It is a test of our perseverance, the test of how you want your life to be. But everything comes to you at a cost; there are tons of things you will have to sort out before you actually move. Not to mention the visa, the flight tickets the accommodations and your local contacts. However it’s easy buying your way out getting the technical part of it sorted out, the real challenge starts when you actually land. For a first timer everything is new and trust me everything is new, and there starts your unforgettable journey to life, everything that you do from here the good the bad the ugly it is done by you.
So as you have moved to a new country, kisses, cuddles. tears. heartbreaks are just the starting of your new journey as you leave, you cannot reach somewhere if you don't leave from somewhere. It is us who decide how you want to make your life worthwhile in the new place, but there is a tough path that one has to traverse to reach a place that you always wanted to. The difference between wanting to move and have to move comes into the picture. It becomes an everyday happy experience for the person who has the motivation to take any situation as a part of learning as it was decided in your mind that you will not just live but you will thrive as the decision was yours and yours alone to come to a foreign land, however for the individuals who have to move as a matter of option and not choice it is an everyday challenge to survive in the foreign land but there is no running away from it, giving up is also not an option, would be too easy.
Living on your own in a foreign land can be pretty frustrating for any person, be it the person who goes there by choice or by option. It is just the cultural shift that happens, I know it is a wide term when I say cultural shift but it is the best way to put it. Imagine something you've been doing since the time you started to create a mental picture of how things work in the place or country where you live, and suddenly you are in a plane with your mind trying to calculate the what’s and how’s you'll do when you land in a new country. Now that you are in the new country, it does take time to adjust to the new surroundings to the new people to the new weather to actually everything. It is where the greatest quest starts!! Only the can-do attitude is expected!! We all say we are different from the common crowd, so this is the time to prove it, not to anyone, but to yourself and the tricky part is, you can’t even create an illusion as there is nowhere running from or lying to yourself.
Once the excitement to land is faded the blending-in blues crawl in. It's the 4 stages of cultural adjustment* that everyone goes, which is a pretty difficult phase. Some of the things that can help pass through these stages are jotted below, it might work in different ways with different personalities but the outcome is always the same for everyone, that's peace of mind!
Music: One of the greatest gifts to humanity, when I try to over exaggerate this statement there is nothing that I am mentioning is vague or wrong. Music has a soothing effect on us in ways one cannot imagine; however, the choice of music is important too. There is actually a deep science based on how music affects our brain waves, in turn, having a physical effect on our body. So, search for the kind of music that uplifts your spirits in the hard times and I am sure it will help.
Books: The person who finds peace in the presence of books is the most imaginative person as once said. A person is made by the books he or she reads. It is a different universe when you are indulged in reading a book, the way I see it, it creates a telepathic bond between the writer and the reader, isn't that fascinating!!
Quotes: Let me mention there are a number of quotes that you can come across, but, yes there is always a but, only believe in them if they are from a valid source, not because it makes you feel better by addressing your state of mind. Read the quotes that will make you realize the sense of your existence and of course your journey to achieve the goal that you've decided for yourself.
Movies & Series: Do I need to say anything? Just be careful about the movies/series you come across, there is actually a happy movie genre that you can find, make it a point not to skip on any part, you never know you might miss out on something that could help you. The series part is something that works on an even greater level, be it a drama, a cartoon or a Sci-fi choice of yours. But keep in mind, the aim is to uplift our spirits so decide accordingly, as the sage in Indiana Jones says "Choose Wisely!!”. Stick to something with a happy ending.
Courses: No matter how hard it is to focus, get yourself ready to take on some online educational course. There is no downside to it anyways. You will realize our mind functions in a totally different way, but like a drug you got to resist the temptation of giving up and you might actually end up learning a skill on a deeper understanding, I don't have a scientific paper to prove this, it is with experience, so why not give it a try.
Social Media: A strict note on the use of social media at this stage, the effects can be in your favour or they may not. Better keep it in check by avoiding it is what I have learned. Although not all the social media platforms are the same.
Shopping: Yes!! That’s right it actually helps, for time being, but that's what it takes. There is this monetary constraint that one cannot ignore, as the pleasure derived from shopping might be short-lived and you might end up getting yourself in the crunch. So manage if you can, there is no have-to in this, remember, every penny saved is a penny earned when you are abroad.
Cleaning: This is something that's backed by people working on human psychology and with my own experience, cleaning is a way to deal with mental stress. Be it cleaning your room, or cleaning your closet, washing utensils or even cleaning your phone gallery!! What I have learnt, it’s not the action that we do but it the satisfaction that we get to do things in an orderly way, and that in turns makes us feel good about of ourselves, like a sense of achievement. No matter how small these achievements are, they are great for you in the state of mind that you are in.
Once you've passed through these phases of adaptation, you are a tested survivor and the path to success awaits you be it in any sector of your choice. No challenge is big enough for you to overcome as you've already won the greatest battle one can face, the battle with yourself to survive and thrive.
Now there are 2 kind of people you'd want to become in a foreign country, the focused and the drifters. The glamour and the temptations to explore are irresistible to ignore. The power and freedom that comes when you get the visa for a country that has no restrictions on travelling destinations like an exotic beach holiday or a historical place or any getaway place the options are unlimited, however, it is the resistance to the temptation that makes you a focused or a drifter. Time is of the essence, time to make yourself financially stable, time to plan your lifestyle, time to create a life that's an inspiration for others. Well, you got to decide, and trust me even if you are a first timer or not, the time management works when you are on your own far from your home country trying to make a living. The lifestyle of a focused person might appear to be slow and monocoloured but like every seed that takes time to germinate and become a tree, it takes time for them to have a solid foundation and eventually the perks are no longer to be pursued but to be enjoyed as mandatory which is pretty awesome. On the other hand for the drifters it's energetic blissful and fun, but, only until the time, they realize they have nothing to count on once the reality hits them. Nothing biased in both the approaches but it’s the perspective of temporary fun or prolonged happiness. Decide for yourself.
Living with mates is the new and totally different case one has to anticipate in a foreign country. It cannot be predicted who you will share your house or your dorm with. People from all over the world are your pool of flatmates. Patience and tolerance is the key to success, as you can never be sure how the person in the room next to you would be. Sharing is the part of living; you share kitchen, bathrooms common areas and what not. If we are lucky enough we can get a mate that syncs with our habits if not one has to adapt to stay with an annoying flatmate. There is constant banging of doors closing, dirty kitchen, filthy bathrooms, overflowing garbage bins as just some perks that you get but there is a silver lining to it. We can always make a friend instead of making an enemy, right? Try bonding with your flatmates, some of them would realize it, some might just won't give a damn, but it’s always worth to take a shot at it rather than not. So you got to deal with it. Don’t let their rudeness or arrogance crush your spirits; there is no running away or moaning about it. So you got to figure out how you are going to deal with such situation, it could be in your favour or it may backfire but in most cases, it works in your favour and you get accustomed to living together. May the motivation to get your own place be the driving force behind all the adjustments you do while staying with your flatmates.
So now that you have a pretty vague idea, this is how it is. It is not easy to start your life in a new country that is for sure, but it is worth the efforts. Not all but most of the successful people you see or you read about have some or the other ways have moved to a foreign country with a dream, and that dream kept them focused. Imagine all that your dreams come true, well they sure do, but you have to be prepared for that. I would love to read the experiences of the people no matter how it is related or not to this blog when it comes to living in a foreign country.
Comment if you want, I'll appreciate it.
*https://www.princeton.edu/oip/practical-matters/Cultural-Adjustment.pdf
