Infographic About Expat Life -- It's Not Always Smooth!

[irina]

I'm in week 9, no real honeymoon or culture shock or "home" sickness. The stats might be true if you've never traveled
before, but Argentina is country 20 for me* and I'd say I was more surprised by Russia than here.

The plan is to do more than my age, I'm in my early 20's right now at 20 countries, and I'll hopefully do (as is the plan) Uruguay,
Chile, Paraguay, China/Hong Kong/Macau before my birthday next (American) Spring.

I disagree here. I also think what you're describing is more of travelling extensively (and amazing, 20 countries by early 20s, JEALOUS) rather than putting down roots for years in a place, which is what I think can cause the feelings of occasional homesickness or depression.There's also nothing weak or "newcomer-like" about those feelings either. Thanks to my parents I had a childhood with lots of travel, and after college moved around quite a bit in Spain and the Caribbean for three years before coming here. I didn't have any real homesickness until after a couple of years here and I think that constant stimulation and change from the 6 months here, 8 months there sort of moves I was doing kept all that at bay. But then again, everyone is different. Some never miss home, some do all the time.

 

[arlean]

Thanks so much Lost In Buenos Aires for posting this. I had no idea you are a journalist. Great! If you had posted in Newcomers I don't think I'd have seen it. I've been involved with a lot of new expats and I find culture shock (depression) common. We can call it something else but usually I think that's what it is. I've been at groups and found people so down and I can say, "You're going to be fine. You're suffering from culture shock. It's real common. You're going to be okay. It will go away." I suffered with it myself when I first came years ago--for about three months--and so I understand. It's horrible. Just being able to tell people that what they are feeling is fairly normal and it will go away can make a big difference for them.

Know what? It's fun to care about people--something a lot of people who are critical seem not to have discovered.

 

[El Mayoman]

I've lived in various countries too, where I always had to learn a new language and integrate with no help from friends, family or a partner. I've never had problems myself and I completely agree that more travelling experience definitely helps with this process. However I firmly believe it's all about the attitude when moving abroad. If you're not willing to learn a new language, it'll become so much harder to integrate and to make friends; the recurring excuses I hear here is that some these people think they "just have no feel for language", or "the language is too hard" or they "don't have the self-confidence to speak the language". Apart from the language, it's just overall pessimism that can really ruin the entire experience for one.

I can only speak from own experience and the many people I've met while living abroad, and the reason I can say all this with such conviction is because I've met countless people who mastered the language (languages that are typically considered harder than Spanish or English) and integrated perfectly within a year, while also meeting people who refuse to speak the language and just hang out with other like-minded expats after living there for 10+ years. Needless to say, it is this latter group that you'll always see complain about how tough expat life is.

Yeah it's more difficult than living at home, but also twice as exciting, and the rewards you get for proper integration far outweigh those you get in your own home country (except, maybe, financially).

Also, thanks for the interesting infographic Lost in Buenos Aires, The 'mood phases' of moving abroad have been a prevalent sociological theory, but it's always nice to see some data to back this up.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Big difference between living somewhere, earning the local currency, owning local property and being part of the local tax/banking system than having a prolonged holiday.

 

[ghost]

I just realized that might sound really arrogant of me and I should clarify; I think people who have never traveled or
only went to their neighboring country/culturally similar countries are likely prone to these feelings. I've also been
very lucky so far in my life and am very aware that others haven't been able to travel, even I do believe it's because
most people don't know how cheap it can be.

The plan is to do more than my age, I'm in my early 20's right now at 20 countries, and I'll hopefully do (as is the plan) Uruguay,
Chile, Paraguay, China/Hong Kong/Macau before my birthday next (American) Spring.

You are on a prolonged and perpetual vacation in your 20s. Isn't that cute.

 

[John.St]

... I'm in my early 20's right now at 20 countries, and I'll hopefully do (as is the plan) Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, China/Hong Kong/Macau before my birthday next (American) Spring.

Really? How many years did you live in each country?

 

[Lost in Buenos Aires]

Really? How many years did you live in each country?

I understand what you're asking, yet I'm not sure it's a fair question. I know Americans that have been in the US their whole life and never really "lived".

It's not a calendar on the wall that tells if someone has lived or not, but rather what they have given and received that matters.
And that, my friend, doesn't matter if you're 20something, 50 something or any other something.

 

[la_guachita]

I've met countless people who mastered the language (languages that are typically considered harder than Spanish or English) and integrated perfectly within a year, while also meeting people who refuse to speak the language and just hang out with other like-minded expats after living there for 10+ years. Needless to say, it is this latter group that you'll always see complain about how tough expat life is.

I very much disagree when it comes to Argentina. While I think it is important to learn the language and intergrate anywhere you live, I was much happier here before I fully understood exactly what people were saying and their associated alterior motives. Also while the people who live here 5+ years and don't really speak the language kind of give me verguenza ajena they seem to enjoy it more, like they are on a perpetual honeymoon with the country, while the rest of us are knee-deep in reality.

 

[John.St]

To my mind, being an expat is not a one week stay, it takes some time living (aka staying) in a country to be an expat, like a couple of years or more.

If not, then my son had been an expat in 11 countries before his 2nd birthday.

 

[arlean]

I think a lot of the depression comes when people really care about the people back home and now are so far from them, and the move is permanent. Girlfriends are important to women and being in a new place without close friends can be difficult. To me culture shock seems more prevalent with women than men (though that's just personal observation). Then again I deal with a different group than a lot here. If a young person has come here for an adventure, the tango, a job for a year or two, and know they will be going home once they get tired of the excitement is not likely, in my opinion, to suffer depression. That's a lot different from people who have pulled up stakes and moved permanently. I don't think the temporary (even if it's for a couple years) person is truly an expat. It is the person who has moved and plans to stay that is the expat. I don't think even the two-year stay qualifies as an expat. Personal opinion here. What has he expatrioted from? Nothing.

There IS a lot in how you look at it, as one person said.