Myths About Living Abroad

This article looks carefully at the realities of life abroad. If you find these points discouraging, do not despair. There are overwhelming benefits to living abroad as well! 

Most of us who have already worked abroad had no forewarning of these realities, but we nonetheless endured, adapted to and enjoyed life abroad.

If you are new to the international arena, just focus on adaptation and openness. Then you'll have a good chance of overcoming the pitfalls listed below.

Myths About Living Abroad

There are many misconceptions about living abroad. Often, if we talk to friends or acquaintances with international experience, they only mention the good (or bad) things about their lives. Or, on the other hand, we sometimes only hear what we want to hear. Consider some of the following myths and their explanations:

• International living is exciting and exotic: It can be, but it can also be boring. After eating a few local dishes and attending a few cultural events, the novelty of a new culture can wear off. Many expatriates complain about the lack of recreation, movies, television, radio and, especially, long-time friends and family. Part of being prepared for overseas work is being creative with your leisure time and learning to appreciate the subtleties of your host country's culture, not just its overt cultural manifestations of song, dance and food.
• Living abroad will allow me a life of leisure: It is true that many expatriates have domestic help, but life abroad can certainly be hectic. It takes a lot of work to supervise a cook, maid, gardener and guard. Everything from shopping to cooking to cleaning takes more time because of the lack of modern conveniences and our lack of familiarity with the culture. Inadequate public transportation may make travel more difficult and, thus, time-consuming. Social events may be more numerous. And if you are working, you will probably also be working harder and longer.
• International work involves a lot of socializing with very interesting people from around the world: Americans and Canadians are considered laid back and informal by international standards. The flip side of this is that we find that most other nationalities are a bit formal, protocol plays a larger role in social life, and class consciousness is usually more important. Another aspect of making friends abroad is that they may not fit your age or work bracket, as there is generally a smaller circle of people to choose from and it may be difficult to build close friendships with local people because of cultural differences. Your friends may well be other expatriates. Since there will be fewer people to befriend, friendships will likely be broader than at home with less regard for age or work background. This may differ from your expectations.
• International work involves a lot of travel with time to visit and explore new cultures: Rarely do international jobs require lots of travel once you arrive at your posting. Even if your job does require travel, you usually have little time to explore during business travel. The most rewarding, however, tends to be the regional travel you do during vacation time. That is, if home sickness doesn't force you back home for a whirlwind tour to visit your relatives.
• Living abroad is dangerous and involves substantial health risks: While it's true that terrorism and anti-American or anti-Western sentiments have increased in some parts of the world, actual occurrences of violence against foreigners remain localized and relatively uncommon. Theft and automobile accidents are often greater risks. Learning to take precautions and refusing to be socially paralyzed by the threat of theft or accident is often required for successful adaptation in developing countries. As for illness, using common sense hygiene overcomes most health risks.
• My employer will solve all my housing problems and guarantee my safety: Your employer can solve some of your problems, but don't expect him or her to solve all of them. You have to make do with your own initiatives and sometimes just learn to live with your predicaments.
• The work I find frustrating at home will be more interesting abroad: Whatever the view from the office window, work is work. The frustrations of an international working environment are usually even greater than those you find at home.
• I can escape my problems by moving abroad: Are you having marital, emotional or drug problems? Attempting to start anew by heading for an overseas assignment usually does not work. For example, it is generally known that strong marriages become stronger abroad and weak marriages often fall apart. Personal problems tend to worsen when you have no familiar support systems to rely on. The stress of life in a new culture will put strains on even the best relationships and the hardiest of personalities.
  
• International development work is very rewarding and I will make a difference in the country I work in: If you are going abroad full of zeal to impart your knowledge to improve the lives of the poor, you will be disappointed. The process of economic development is a slow one. It can take decades before you see changes in the lives of whole communities. Moreover, with the eyes of a foreigner, you may be hard pressed to recognize important changes in a culture that is not your own. The practice of giving assistance to developing countries is an imprecise science, and development projects can and do fail!