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Spend some time living in another country
Wednesday, 18 January 2006
Many people will read the title of this article and dismiss the advice as too impractical or scary. What could be more difficult than upping-sticks and moving to another country? Yet I'm convinced that in most cases, those who do so for a time find that it contributes substantially to their well-being. Here are some reasons why.
The first is that the act of moving to another country is great training for a successful life. When you arrive in a completely foreign place, it forces you to be resourceful, no matter how much money or how many contacts you have when you arrive.
You must find a place to live, a job, make new friends and work out how the place works. Even simple things like differences in plumbing, transport, money and expected behavior can be a struggle in the beginning. There's no doubt that for the first few months this is an enormous pain! Of course, these difficulties are offset by the fact that you're on a big adventure and your life will certainly seem more exciting.
It won't take long before you work out how to get by in your new environment. You'll find somewhere to live, get a job, and make new friends. But more important than that, you'll emerge a much more resourceful person - one of the best skills you can develop.
The second reason it's a good idea to live in another country is that doing so will challenge your beliefs on many things. At first, you may find the attitudes of your new neighbors baffling. You'll be frustrated that nothing works as it should, and nothing is as you've been led to believe that it should be.
Many people grow up in their home environment convinced that the way things are there is the way reality is everywhere. The attitudes of your neighbors and friends at home can come to seem like natural truths, and their way of doing things the only right and true way. Spending some time in another country will cause you to question many of those beliefs. Of course, it will be a subtle process, and your new compatriots may seem stupid, incompetent or just plain weird to begin with. You'll be surprised how quickly you start to see some things their way though.
Questioning deeply held beliefs and routines and seeing that there are other ways of doing things is almost always healthy.
The third reason is that it will help you to discover who you are. Our environment has an enormous effect on how we view the world. It also plays a big part in forming our view of who we are. Change our environment, and those things that are placed within us by our surroundings will start to fade, while those that are inherently part of us will become more obvious.
If you're in a struggle to find out who you really are, being apart from your friends and family in a strange country can really help.
I hope I've convinced you to spend part of your life living in another country. If not so far, perhaps my final reason will persuade.
It adds hugely to the richness of your life's experience. And that, after all, is one of the main benefits of being here.
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