Wanting to move abroad is a bigger decision than immigration or finding the perfect home; it’s about uprooting your life for something that is completely different from what you have become accustomed to. There is a large difference between Canada and Spain, for example, so you will want to make sure that you fully understand your reasons before you head off.
Do you want to try something new?
Many people move abroad because they want to learn about a new culture or they want to get away from the usual. If so, you will want to understand that there are other ways of doing this in your own home as well. By taking a class or trying out a new activity, you might be able to accomplish the same thing.
Do you want to learn about a new culture?
A great way to really understand a different culture is to immerse your self in it. Many foreign exchange students cite this reason for heading to another country for part of their schooling. However, this question needs to extend further when you are contemplating moving into this new culture. Are you interested in learning more about it or seeing what the culture can offer what you already know?
Do you have business interests that can benefit?
Some people find that moving abroad allows them to grow their business or branch out in different ways in terms of their job. However, with the new information superhighway that is the Internet, moving isn’t a necessity anymore as instant telecommunication is available. How is moving abroad going to directly affect your business interests?
Do you just want to live somewhere completely different?
To some, this question might sound shallow, but it really has particular meaning to some expatriates. Sometimes, you can just need to get away from the things that you know in order to either appreciate what you have or to get a new perspective on your life. For some, it takes completely uprooting in order to make changes in their life for the better. And that’s not a superficial reason at all.
Are you ready to feel unsettled?
For most people, moving abroad will be difficult and it will cause them to rethink their decision, but when you expect to feel uncomfortable, you can start to realize that it’s just part of the process. And that what you are learning from the experience in invaluable.
Tags: expat, expatriate, moving abroad
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I’ve married my Filipina turned canadian resident here in the philippines late last year. do we have lots of requirements to accomplish before we could be together in Canada? If yes, may we also know about it?
Thank you so much!
Comment by Jonathan Falmarin — January 16, 2007 @ 1:31 am
The internet does NOT allow for people to expand businesses into other countries. People need to stop repeating this nonsense. Real relationships and face to face meetings grow client bases and an internet business is a billboard in a field among a billion billboards. Real world marketing creates real world dollars.
As a internet programmer since 1996 I have seen it all and watched knowing as the dot com crash built up to its final months with next to no profits earned on thousands of heavily invested businesses.
The ONLY way to experience another place is to be IN IT.
thanks
Comment by M — March 2, 2008 @ 9:42 pm