Living and fitting into a foreign country is difficult, just think of the bureaucratic challenges. If you want to avoid becoming a prisoner of your own little world, you have to learn to adapt to your new country. Berlin Translate offers some tips to help you meet this challenge.

While living abroad sounds exciting, it is also a source of difficulties. Once you set foot on a foreign soil as an expatriate, you tend to focus on the familiar aspect. Then, many expatriates never really arrive in the new world to remain a foreigner. Fitting into the local culture is probably the biggest challenge of living abroad.

It is quite tempting to share your life experiences only with other expatriates in your new home. After all, no one can understand you better than those who are in the same boat as you. Your doubts in trying the local food, your struggles in adapting to the rhythm of the new daily life and your mixed feelings about social traditions.

Now, let’s discover the tips and tricks for expatriates while moving abroad.

From expatriate to local resident

To get the most out of your expatriate experience, it is important to step out of your comfort zone after a short while to immerse yourself in the new culture. You will have already taken a big step in the right direction, if you forget all the false first impressions and stereotypes. Living in a new country can definitely be a life-changing experience.

However, getting used to this new life is not as easy as it sounds. Adapting to a new lifestyle as an expatriate can take some time. The culture shock that comes with living abroad affects us sooner or later. You have to be careful not to let yourself be put off. After all, every traveller and expatriate need time to adapt to their new environment.

Integrating even if the magic fades

For most people who made it abroad, the numerous particularities of the new culture seem to be more than a little strange, which can be exciting at first. After all, one of the most famous reasons for going abroad is the desire to discover a foreign country.

Yet, now that you have been living abroad for a little while longer, the very things that attracted you at first can become boring. You remember the quiet life in your home country, the cleanliness of your home city or, the kindness and quietness of all the inhabitants.

Fitting in by enjoying the little things

Those who chose to live abroad need time to adapt to their new environment. Delphine, 42, lived this experience when she left Sweden to Ecuador. Compared to life in her home city of Gothenburg, everything was very foreign to her. Once the initial excitement faded, these differences began to bother her. Yet, she was able to realise later that life in Quito was just different.

Still, I recommend trying to remain respectful, patient and humble until you are fully settled in your new home. After all, you are still a guest in another country.

You are now aware of all the tips and tricks for expatriates while moving abroad. Enjoy!