How living in different cultures changed my life
In this blog post, I would like to talk about changes that living in different cultures and using different languages except my mother tongue enriched my life.
The uniqueness of living in different cultures is the most precious experience my life could bring me. The ability to understand the language of the country I lived in is the most amazing thing I could ever live.
Life anywhere else
Are you the person who never left the home country and if only for holidays or are you the one who lived the life with other mentalities?
Every human being is different. So am I. I was already in my teens knew the fact that I am not going to live in my home country. How I could know it without experiencing the difference? It was just a strong feeling that I had. As I grew up bilingual and I also attended the elementary school with foreign languages, there was not an issue to be not able to understand at least 4 other languages.
So what are the benefits of living abroad?
“Travel is the only one thing that makes you richer”.
I am sure you heard this wonderful quote already and I cannot agree more with it. My life is based on travels and living in different cultures. The feeling I get about it is something that only one place cannot give me. As I left my home country in the early twenties, I was seeing the world differently from the beginning. First thing was that I was obligated to use the foreign language I already spoke but in a different way with the natives! I never was focused on finding friends from my home country just the opposite was the reality. As more as I was coliving with different cultures, I wanted to get better and better in the language I spoke. I was listening to their different dialect and I was pretty much hard on me to be able to repeat them. Sound ridiculous right? So am I.
The benefit of improving your already language skills is huge!
Trust me, you think you are fluent and speak perfectly but if you stay between the natives there will be a way more to improve in. That is the first challenge you will go through! But don't worry, everyone will understand anyway! It is up to you how you decide to get better at what you already know.
Another challenge would be the different work patterns.
Yes, I saw it as a big benefit even if it might seem challenging at the beginning or maybe forever for some of you but I just love it! Every country has a different way of working, there are different rules on how to enhance the work routine. The best way to fit and integrate yourself is to talk to people, ask questions, hang out after work with them. Soon or later you start to understand more and more. I did very quickly.
The difference between your home country and the country you live in will be ENORMOUS.
You will get mentally stronger you definitely will because you will be staying before a new challenge every time you will have the feeling you don't understand the people. And this is huge! You became prouder of yourself at the end of the day, month, year.... You will realize how highly capable you are and this is important.
You will learn a new behavior, new habits, new food, new places, new friends, the new daily experience.
And this you won't learn in school or TV or on your vacation. I always said the difference to be abroad and live abroad IS BIG. You will experience this after you pay taxes in the country you live in. Life is too short and the only way how to learn quickly is to GO FOR IT now. There is no need to wait, things you learn no one takes away from you even if experience bad situations. Life will teach you every day and this is a BENEFIT.
My experience living in different countries showed me how much is there to learn every day whether it is language skill improvement or the new cooking skills I definitely implemented in my daily life. I learned to understand the culture better after I was in the middle of them. I learned to cook dishes I had never done in my life before. I learned to communicate even better in the languages I was not as fluent in because I met people from that country or I worked with them. I learned new rules, new laws how to proceed with work better, with renting a property, with doctors and institutions I had to go to. And the list goes on.
All I can say to the end of this post is JUST DO IT. Pack the baggage as I did and move away. Don't be scared, have some backup plan but only stay positive. The things you learn will enrich your life immediately!
Visit my page with my designs which are dedicated to the country of my heart: Spain, Canary Islands:
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