What I Wish I had Known Before The Move to America
Molly recently joined her American husband in Ohio and is continuing to share tips on life abroad. At EasyExpat we provide the latest and greatest in Expat News and Resources, but sometimes a personal journey can best explain the unique challenges and triumphs involved in moving abroad. Meet Molly and follow along on her adventure in the Move to America with new posts on the 1st wednesday of every month.
Since I moved to America (October 4th 2013 was the day), I have been thinking about what I wish I had known before The Move to America. This was partly caused by the arctic weather (care of the polar vortex that froze parts of the U.S.).
This may sound odd as what does incredibly cold and dangerous weather conditions have to do with thinking about preparations for a big move? Well, it was because I had never experienced such weather extremes that I began to think about how I could better prepare for the winters here - which led me to think about preparations in general - long winded, I know, but bear with me!
I started to think about what would be useful to have known before moving to live abroad, and I thought that compiling a list of top ideas may help. So, here are some things you could do before you decide to make a big move, or, help you make the best of the build-up to leaving your home country.
I am by no means an expert, but I certainly found these things helped me ...
Use Social Media to make Connections
There are so many great blogs out there about living abroad, and you will be sure to find one that matches your own personal circumstances (moving for love, work or studying, for example).
Getting on Twitter really helped me as I found this a great way to connect with more expats, but also, if I had a question, I could get it answered really quickly.
I found using social media has helped me so much as you get to read about real experiences (the good and the bad) that help you to either settle in, or make a decision about if living abroad in a particular place really is for you.
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Read Online Guides & Forums
Fairly self-explanatory seeing as this is on a guide/forum site - but again, I cannot stress how important it is to communicate with people who have, or are, going through the same thing as you. It is where you will find further (and more detailed) answers to any questions you may have asked on social media, for example.
Read Local News
This can be done online, through social media, or by getting an actual paper copy sent to you.
Not only does this let you get to know your new home a bit better, and understand how that area operates, it also will give you an idea of jobs that are available, courses or groups to join and social activities.
Similarly, if you are able to, tune in to a local radio station as that can give you a sense of your new home.
Join Community Groups
I have mentioned this one before, and think it is a good way to ensure that when you do arrive, you have new people to meet and get to know. Finding locals to befriend is ultimately the best way of getting to know your new home. The local library is a good place to start and has access to a wealth of books, magazines, guides, local knowledge and the internet.
There you have a few ideas to help you with becoming an expat. I hope you have found it interesting and useful, and if you have any further questions, please visit my blog The Move to America where I will be happy to answer any queries!
Look for Molly's earlier posts on the Moving Abroad category or her new posts on the first wednesday of every month.
Author: EasyExpatEditorial Team :)