When you first decide to become an expat, it means to leave your home country and embark on a new journey. One point of view is “Great! I’m really excited for the new adventure!” but more of us start to think about the things we have to do and take care of before we leave. It’s nowhere near as easy as going on a 2-week vacation and pack your bathing suit with a bottle of sunscreen (maybe two bottles) and you’re good to go. There must be a thousand thoughts going through your head, especially if you’re a first time expat. When I decided to move to the UAE, I had to figure out what to do with my property, my car, my dog, and the list goes on. But instead of listing out all the things (I will write about that in another post) that you need to check off, I want to share 5 common pitfalls of a first time expat and how you can avoid them to ease your transition.
Becoming an Expat at 24 and What I Learned
Every time someone asks me if I ever regret becoming an expat, my answer is always the same: Nope, not one bit. There would be questions about how can I leave everything behind, language barriers, culture shock, and the list goes on. Since I became an expat, I discovered that it’s all about your mentality and perspective. If you view the opportunity to leave your home country as a positive move, your whole experience and perspective changes for the better.