Moving countries is always an enormous effort, with long-lasting effects.
You learn to become more independent, you widen your friend group, you become more worldly, and you find out what it’s like to face a city in which you don’t know anybody.
A new country can be a bit intimidating, as you might have even left your home culture behind, and moved to a place with entirely new cultural norms and etiquettes. People like Cosmos Consultancy’s education agents make it their job to help you through these transitions and these huge life shifts, but if you’re looking for a little information right now, read on.
Learn Your Surroundings
The first step in finding your footing is to learn your surroundings. From where you live, walk around for a few hours in the surrounding streets to get an idea of your neighborhood, and then walk a little further to get an idea of your nearest main roads. Next, investigate your local public transport, and take pictures of the timetable so you don’t have to memorize it. This will help you have a better understanding of where you live and how to get around.
Find Your Essentials
Finding your local supermarket and chemist should be top of the list, because those are the things you’re most likely to need immediately. After you’ve located those, you should find a hospital and a police station so you can be sure of your emergency service locations. These are all important in day-to-day and emergency situations, and if you don’t know where the nearest hospital is, chances are the best time to find it is before you’ve got a broken limb.
Set Up a Local Haunt
Now that the important stuff is out of the way, you can start working on the things based on comfort more than needs. A local “haunt” is somewhere you spent a lot of time, whether that be a bar or a cafe, or even a bowling alley. It’s a place you can go by yourself and feel comfortable enough to relax with some human company, and it’s important to your mental health to find a place like this. Start spending time in cafes and bars at times that suit you and get to know the staff, you might find you like it enough to stay.
Connect With Your Roots
Something that almost anyone who moves country will experience is homesickness.
You will likely miss your old country and your old foods, as well as the accents of the people and the culture itself. The trick to this next part is finding a place that reminds you of those ideals or those parts of home that you miss. It could be a restaurant, a bar, a scenic walk or anything, really, but find what it is and spend some time there when you feel sick for home.
Embrace the New
The best part about moving to a new country is getting in touch with your new home. Go out and immerse yourself in the culture, try new foods you haven’t tried before and talk to store owners.
Good places to start this kind of exploration are sunday markets, art galleries, live music shows, and special events held in the city. These things help you get in touch with your new city and it’s people, and you’ll grow to understand the culture as you submerge yourself in it.
Make Some Friends
Throughout this process you will talk to a lot of people you don’t know and you won’t always get along with them but you are more likely to find someone you do get along with if you talk to more people. Making friends is inevitable in situations like this, whether it’s your favorite barista at a local coffee shop or even your mailman. Make friends and they can show you their favorite parts of a city they’ve lived in for years, and give you a glimpse into your future in your new country.
With these tips in mind, there’s no reason to wait any longer. Get out there and explore the world; live in different countries, explore new cities, and meet tons of new and exciting people.
