4 offbeat tips for those moving to another country

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It will not be possible to prepare 100% for such radical changes in life. But you can make it easier for yourself to adapt to a new country.

When three years ago I received a visa to Canada for permanent residence, there was a feeling that they simply knocked the ground out from under my feet. What a joy there, I was overwhelmed by a real panic. I told those around me that everything was going according to plan, but in fact it was hard for me even to muster the courage to go to the embassy for my passport. However, recovering from the first shock, I eagerly began to study forums and Canadian sites - everything to prepare myself as much as possible and protect myself from all sorts of troubles. But, friends, I will tell you this: the move is not a tourist trip, and most likely it will not go as smoothly as you would like it to be.

Personally, I have read many articles on “what you need to know about moving to another country”, and these are really good articles urging you not to forget your medications and warm clothes. But keep in mind that they do not in any way soften the blow from such dramatic changes in life.

Imagine it will be difficult. Very difficult. So, in fact, it will be more difficult for you than you imagine. Therefore, as a person who has gone through all the difficulties of immigration, I want to share with you life hacks that will help you cope with the first months of life in a new country.

1. Don't be a tourist

You came here to live, not rest. You will have time to see the sights, taste goodies, take a walk, get comfortable and relax, after all, you now have a whole new life for this. Now you need to establish the normal course of life as soon as possible, namely, find a place to live, get a SIM card, social security number, bank account, get a job in language courses, understand where shops, kindergartens, metro stations and everything else are located. makes up the everyday life of an ordinary person.

I know that after a long and tiring journey, stress at the border and many weeks of concentrated training, I want to pamper myself, but this final spurt is simply necessary for successful adaptation in a new place.

Here I can add specifically about Canada and Montreal in particular: renting a house in advance, most likely, will not work. Apartments, with rare exceptions, are rented from the first day of each month, so it is better to plan the move, respectively, in the middle to the end of the month, so you can save money on a hotel or accommodation with Airbnb.

I don’t know what it’s connected with, but in Montreal, July 1 is a city-wide moving day. On this day, a significant part of the city is removed from their homes and moved to new apartments. The largest number of offers on the real estate market appears from May to June.

2. Be prepared for "illogical" prices

I have traveled a lot from Moscow and in my life, so I'm used to high prices. However, this did not save me from the price shock. It is difficult, sitting at home in front of a laptop, to figure out what time the average monthly cost of living will come out on the other side of the world. As it seemed to me, after studying (albeit superficial) prices for the subway, gasoline, tomatoes, etc., I more or less understood what it would cost. Nevertheless, you cannot calculate everything, especially when you always translate prices from foreign currency into rubles.

Metro prices (higher than Moscow ones, but generally adequate) did not prepare me in any way for the fact that ordinary shampoo of the same brand in Montreal will be five times more expensive, normal bread will cost as much as 2-3 of our cartons of milk, but strawberries in winter are like Rostov apples in summer.

And it is not necessary to say that Canada is just an expensive country in itself, this is understandable. Rather, it is a matter of our understanding of how much "should cost" in relation to other goods.

When the picture doesn't match, keeping track of your budget, which is already getting hit hard, becomes extremely difficult.

I am an outrageously economical person, my financial discipline even borders on stinginess, but nevertheless, it turned out to be painful for me to rebuild, and it took time.

3. Do not worry if you are disappointed in something. It is temporary

Perhaps, the very first morning will be clouded by a nasty thought that eats away at the brain: “I made a mistake. I want to go home . Perhaps this will happen in a week or two, when the feeling of a tourist (which will still be present to one degree or another) suddenly recedes and you will be hit by the first realization that you are not returning home, at least for the foreseeable future.

One way or another, this thought is guaranteed to visit you and, most likely, will sit in your head for a while. It is very important here not to fall into apathy, not to succumb to fears that will creep out of dark corners and begin to torment you with renewed vigor, but to maintain good spirits and understand: this is normal, all immigrants go through this.

Something will surely unsettle you when you think with irritation: "But here in Moscow it is different!"

When I came to the immigration center, the social worker, seeing my dull eyes, took out a graph of the mood of the visitors in the form of a long sine wave and said: “Now it’s hard for you, you no longer feel the holiday from a new exciting trip. You are tired, you feel lonely and you want to go home. You do not understand how to act in these new conditions. However, it will pass for you, as it does for everyone who sat in this chair before you. And then you will understand that moving to Canada was the best decision of your life. And you know, this woman did not deceive me.

4. Don't overhaul yourself

As I browsed through numerous travel blogs, I came across the same advice more often than others. Its essence was to be open, to make as many friends as possible, to communicate with the locals to the maximum, even to make some contacts in advance via the Internet.

If this suits you, you will certainly make your life a lot easier. But what about introverts, distrustful people and those who are used to basing only on their own judgments? Being just such a person, I declare with confidence: do not remake yourself!

Moving is already a huge stress, there is no need to "force" yourself with new acquaintances if you do not feel the need for them.

Believe me, you yourself can figure everything out, without the opinions and judgments of the locals. If you are a loner in life, do not sacrifice your comfort in order to find a socially necessary circle of acquaintances as soon as possible. It will appear over time. Or it won't appear, that's up to you. As a practical person, I believe that you should rely on yourself in everything. It's so convenient for me, I've already let a lot through myself and made my own opinion about everything that happens here.

Here's an interesting story to illustrate what I'm talking about here. About a month before arriving in Montreal, I met on a Russian forum a very pleasant woman who (as it seemed to me) was imbued with me, advised a lot of things and even invited me to stay with her for the first few months completely free of charge. Since we communicated quite a lot, I had no reason not to trust her. Upon my arrival and the call, the lady was busy - both on the first and on the following days.

This experience, although not the most terrible, nevertheless turned out to be rather unpleasant, especially in a stressful situation. And the essence of this story is not to show what kind of people are unreliable (I fully admit that a person's circumstances have really changed), but to summarize my thought: if you easily get along with people - go ahead, this is your undeniable talent, which you just need to use it. If you are used to dealing with everything yourself, there is no need to worry about this. Do as you are used to.

In conclusion, I would like to wish everyone and everyone great courage on the way to their dreams. A new country is an amazing world in which a lot of pleasant surprises, new goals, stories and adventures await you. And if you decide to take such a brave step, do not turn off the planned route. This is an invaluable experience that you will definitely be proud of!