Ready to move overseas and confused where to start your planning, organising and packing from? Moving abroad is a million-dollar opportunity for today’s millennials. But with profiting opportunities comes challenges which need to be dealt with patience and strong determination which starting the next adventurous chapter of your life. Relocation for expats and people planning to move permanently is much more than discovering the city skylines, it’s much hyped nightlife, sights and shops. People often find themselves stranded in the middle of a new land when they fail to integrate with the natives. The transition phase from learning the language to embracing the culture can be a bit too much for some; considering where one is planning to move to.
Moving depends on various emotional, physical and monetary factors. As per HSBC’s 2017 survey, Singapore tops the list of best countries for expatriates in terms of economic growth and rich experience in the year 2017. Though, Singapore provides great opportunities for expats from around the world but most of them find the transition a little difficult. Perhaps your worry is not financial stability and food but language and cultural integration; read on to treasure easy and helpful pointers for a smooth transitioning experience while you plan to move to Singapore.
PLAN ON MOVING? HOW DO I START?
Certain nations will definitely be a challenge for you not because of the language gap but because of cultural differences. Places like the Saudi Arabia and the UAE are amidst some of the most non-preferred locations for expat families due to cultural barriers and strict norms. Hence, while moving to UAE one needs to strongly understand and comprehend social norms and belief systems. Integration to one’s culture is much more than communicating, mixing around and befriending natives. In order to truly settle down one needs to have proper knowledge about the country.
For Indians; countries such as Thailand, Switzerland, Germany and Netherland are well explored and accepted by expats from all over. These countries apart from offering ease in mobility within the country also provide great growth and wealth prospects to an individual. To tackle the language integration challenge, one needs to start by enrolling in a foreign language class. This will not only help in understanding the language but will also keep you motivated throughout. You can practice with mates and learn from their mistakes. Apart from this there are a number of ways to learn a language. You can find interactive courses happening around the world which can be accessed via net. Other mediums such as teaching resources, DVDs, books, audio CDs and conversation forums are also available at a click on your phones and laptops for self-paced learning.
ONCE MOVED! WHAT NEXT?
Now finally, you are in a new country. The first and foremost thing to look out is to connect with local and credible expat groups. They are the ones who have gone through the same transition and might help you overcome the initial cultural shock you are bombarded with. Perhaps another best way is to learn some slangs. Practice and communicate as much as you can. The more you practice with locals, the better the sentence structures and the pronunciations. Not only will this help you in gaining fluency but you will find that people are much friendlier this way. At last if you still have hiccups in expressing or communicating things you can always download a translator app on your smartphones and start using it. After all, “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it” -Molière
