12 Things Living Abroad Will Teach You

Disclosure: Advertising and affiliate services, including Amazon Associates, help the cost of running my blog. Clicking ads or making purchases through affiliate links may, at no additional cost to you, earn me a small commission. I appreciate your support.

I first left my home in the UK when I was 23. I took a trip to Vancouver, Canada to work and never really looked back. It was supposed to be for 6 months and not only did I end up staying a full year, but I then applied for residency and I’ve lived in Canada for 10 years now. In the middle of all that, I also lived in China for 2 years while I went through many years of jumping through government-held hoops for my Canadian residency. But I persevered and have learned a lot along the way. Traveling is one thing, but emigrating is something different. So here are some of the things I’ve learned by living abroad and what you might experience if you do it too.

You’re stronger than you think you are

It might seem like the easiest thing: book a ticket, get on a plane, travel somewhere new. But moving to another country and living abroad, starting from scratch with friends, work, housing, is hard work. So anyone who does it is definitely strong and brave in my book. In fact whenever I go home I get a lot of people say “I can’t believe you did that, you’re so brave, I could never do it”. But if I can, anyone can. If you want something, and you have the means to do it, then go for it. Worst case you don’t like it and you go home.

The amount of paperwork is unreal

If you thought getting a work visa for six months or a year was a challenge, try moving permanently and living abroad. The amount of red tape sometimes makes you wonder if it’s all worth it. In China I had to renew my visa every 6 months and take medical tests. But despite the periodic prodding and interrogation, it was an experience I wouldn’t trade. Moving to Canada involved meeting certain criteria before I could apply to emigrate. It was a long arduous process and I’ve now been settled here for 10 years. But I still shudder every time I need to fill out government paperwork #triggered.

You’ll learn to travel light

There’s no bigger cleanse than deciding what to take with you when you move countries. Whether it’s packing a bag for a year of travel or packing your life into boxes, you’ll realize what’s important. I threw away and donated so many things when I moved to Canada. There were things I’d been hanging onto for years but never used. This was a great opportunity to fully start afresh. It’s amazing to find out what’s really “necessary” when international shipping fees get involved.

Finding a job isn’t always simple

When I first got to Vancouver I struggled to find a job. There was the usual “we want someone with more experience” BS that you often get. But on top of that I was told more than once that I hadn’t been in Canada long enough, and maybe I should re-apply once I’d been in the Canadian job market for longer. They were often worried that I would only want to keep the job a short while and then quit because living abroad was not my thing, worried they’d have to fill the post again soon. I finally convinced someone to give me a chance and despite his hesitation, hired me. I’m forever grateful for that foot in the door even if I’m no longer in that job. Perseverance is key but stick with it.

Your accent will get you noticed

Having an different accent is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a great conversation starter, you’ll instantly be a hit with anyone looking to collect international friends to appear worldly, and you will regularly have your words repeated back to you in a fake (and horrific) version of your accent. 10 years later people still do this to me. It’s never in malice, but it’s annoying when you’re in the middle of a story and you’re stopped so that people can giggle over how you just said a word. And this is from me going from one English speaking country to another. I can only imagine what it’s like for anyone dealing with a language difference to you. My hats off to you.

Making friends is hard

Being in a new place, it can get lonely at first. Think about how we usually meet people: school, work and bars. If you don’t have friends you might not be at many bars to make new friends. If you’re living abroad, you’re likely past the schooling age. That leaves work. And for me when I moved to Canada, there were only about 3 people around my age in my job. It took a long time to build up a group of friends and a lot of people I met through other people. But I remember that first year, I only had one or two friends and it was very lonely.

Life goes on without you

While you might be going through the experience of your life it can be hard to forget that those at home are too. When I first started traveling I often went back expecting everything to be the same. But things change. Your friends will grow up, get married to someone you don’t have the chance to meet and have kids. They’ll find new friends too. I go back to the UK at least once a year and through the years I’ve lost touch with a couple of people. But my really good friends I know I won’t. We might not talk often, but they always make time to catch up when I get back. Even if their lives are completely different now.

Home is always a part of you

Even though you chose to leave, there’s always a part of you that will crave the easiness of life back home. Where everyone knows your name, where they’re always glad… you get it! Leaving a solid support system of friends and family is not easy. For me, regular visits back to the UK and having my parents visit me in Canada is key. We also do weekly video calls and now I’ve taught my Mum how to use Whatsapp (yay) we can call through the week too.

You might not feel like you fully belong

One of the biggest challenges for me has been feeling torn between two places. I’m too British for Canada and too Canadian for Britain. It’s a weird feeling to belong to two places, yet also neither. Check out this post to read my full feelings about this topic but the takeaway is that if you have people who love you wherever you are then you’re lucky and you’ll fit in. Once you make friends and build a support system it’ll feel more like home. Plus then you get to call two places home which is amazing.

You miss the weirdest things

Other than the obvious, friends and family, the rest of what I miss is often surprisingly mundane. I’ll be going about my daily life here in Canada and will suddenly miss the weirdest things about the UK. Food is a big one. Nothing will ever convince my friends that beans on toast is an acceptable meal, that crumpets are beyond awesome, and that pickled onion Monster Munch aren’t weird. I miss hearing English accents, tea being higher on a menu than coffee, and a Sunday afternoon outing to the garden centre.

You’ll learn to work out world time zones

Vancouver is 8 hours behind the UK in time. When I lived in the UK I don’t think I would really have paid much attention to what time it was anywhere else in the world. The messages I get at 3am from people back home make me realize they don’t either. But whatever I’m doing in the day it’s always in the back of my mind what time it is in the UK. If I’m doing something and I’m reminded I need to message someone or call them I’m mentally working out the time there. This is a valuable skill to have.

You’re luckier than most

I never stop taking for granted the fact that I’m so lucky to have been able to move to a new country. For most people living abroad is not only difficult, but impossible. I complain about the paperwork, but I know I’m privileged and that many people would kill to only have to fill in a few forms to start new somewhere else. Travel is a privilege, and emigrating is a bigger one. If you are able to start a new life in a new country, or even visit, be grateful as there are those who aren’t as fortunate.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you ever moved countries? What are lessons you’ve learned while living abroad?