Informal Observations of the Expat Experience

I have been teaching English to expats in Indiana since 2004. Over the years, I have noticed some patterns. When people arrive, they are extremely busy setting up their households, getting cars, talking with people at schools for their children, and when their personal belongings arrive from overseas, they have more unpacking to do.

After about three months, students get sick and have to cancel a lesson or two until they feel better. The people who thrive are the ones who attend English classes, make friends, drive, and have a social life. Without a social network, some people feel isolated and suffer from depression. Accessing counseling seems to have a social stigma attached to it, so it seems that many people suffer in silence.

Some relief happens when the family gets to travel to various tourist attractions in the United States. Some of the most popular places I have heard mentioned are the following, in no particular order: Chicago, Disney World, Niagara Falls, The Grand Circle, and New York.

Bilingualism: Speaking a Foreign Language Can Improve Your Career Prospects

One thing is for sure, the job market can be extremely competitive. You need every possible asset you can have to set yourself apart from other candidates and show your future employer that you are the best person for the job.

Many people are aware that speaking a foreign language is a beneficial skill to have on your resumé, but just what exactly are the workplace advantages that you might have if you are bilingual?

More Job Prospects

Some people think that foreign languages are only beneficial if you are working in fields that require you to speak another language, such as translation or interpretation. However, you can have more job opportunities in several different domains if you speak a foreign language. As more and more businesses move online and open their markets to the rest of the globe, being bilingual, or even multilingual, means that your skills can be a great asset in sectors such as marketing or sales, for example. Between two candidates with roughly the same skill set and amount of experience, the recruiter is likely to choose the person who is proficient in a foreign language if the other candidate is not.

Higher Potential Earnings

It is also important to note that an employee who speaks a foreign language is likely to have a higher salary than their monolingual counterpart. In fact, bilingual or multilingual candidates oftentimes earn between five and twenty percent more than the base salary rate for monolingual candidates. There is an extra advantage if you speak a language that is less common, as proficient speakers of these languages don’t come around every day. Besides English, some of the best languages to learn are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic which have 879, 436, and 422 million native speakers, respectively.

Career Evolution Opportunities

Not only does being proficient in a foreign language open more job opportunities for candidates, but it can also give you a chance to evolve in your career. If you speak a foreign language, you may have the chance to take your company abroad and represent them in another country. You may also be able to climb the corporate ladder a little faster and earn promotions more quickly than a monolingual candidate.

The advantages to being bilingual or multilingual are endless, and it’s never too late to start learning a foreign language. With time and dedication, anyone can become proficient in a new language, and the benefits will be well worth the effort you put in.

Moving Abroad and Dealing with Homesickness

Homesickness is something we all experience at some point in our lives; however, it can be quite intense if you decide you want to live in another country, and you’re not prepared. In all honesty, it’s inevitable, but there are things you can do to help yourself feel closer to home when you are hundreds – or even thousands – of miles away from your family.

Take items that remind you of home

 When you finally move, make sure to take small items that remind you of your hometown and your family with you, so that you’ll always have a piece of home with you, no matter where you go. Some small things you can take could be photos or small gifts that you have gotten from your family such as a keychain, or other tiny trinkets.

Stay in touch 

This may sound obvious, but for some people it can be hard depending on where you move. You can run into different problems such as time differences or lack of communication services. If you move to a different country, you’ll need to get a new phone number, and the price of international calls and texts can add up very quickly. Luckily, there are quite a few apps out there that can help. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and even the messaging features on Instagram and Twitter can help you connect with your friends and family from a distance.

Send each other postcards

You live in a new and exciting city; your family will surely want to see what it’s like. In return, your family can send you postcards as well, reminding you of your hometown. Even better is adding a short, personalized message with your postcard to show them that you’re thinking of them.

Make new friends

 Nobody can replace your friends back home but making new friends and exploring your new city with them can help you deal with the feeling of loneliness that you may experience when moving abroad.

Homesickness is normal, but hopefully these suggestions can help you adjust to life in your new city or country. Don’t feel bad about missing home – it’s normal. Just do your best to stay connected to those from your hometown and don’t forget to visit them from time to time as well!

Reverse Culture Shock

Culture shock is a term that a lot of people are familiar with, but there is also a less familiar phenomenon, known as reverse culture shock. Most know that when we travel abroad, we need to be prepared to see and do things that may be considered strange in our home country. However, what may not think about is how staying abroad for long periods of time can affect our view of our home country.

 What is Reverse Culture Shock?

Reverse culture shock is a term used to describe the feeling of disorientation that one experiences upon returning to their home country after months, or even years, abroad. It’s something I’ve experienced, and it’s definitely strange. I’ve lived in France for the past three years and coming home has been quite an interesting experience. There are so many little things that I’d never thought of as weird or different, but now I do. It’s like seeing the world again through a brand-new set of eyes, it’s a feeling that almost can’t be described – it has to be experienced.

The way I’m talking about it makes it seem like a bad thing, but it’s not at all. It’s just different. One of the major differences for me was, of course, the language since I didn’t go to an anglophone country. After speaking exclusively French for the past few years, I had to readjust to speaking my native language. Even though I’ve been back for a few weeks, I still draw a blank every now and then. However, the longer I stay here, the easier it will get.

Another adjustment was the way of life. In France, it seems much calmer, whereas in the United States, I’m under the impression that I’m constantly running around trying to do ten things at once. The two countries have a very different pace as well as a different outlook on life and readjusting to it has been a challenge. Neither one is good nor bad, they are just two very distinct cultures.

The last change that I’ve noticed are the changes to my daily routine. I had started to adapt to the French lifestyle while I was over there and coming back and so trying to fall back into my old routine after returning has been a struggle, in fact.

 How Do You Deal with it?

It is possible to reduce the effects of reverse culture shock upon returning to your home country. The more you communicate with people back home, the more of a connection you have to that culture and the less likely you are to be disoriented when you return. Additionally, if you frequently travel between both countries and adapt to both cultures, the differences will ultimately become less shocking over time.

Just remember that reverse culture shock is an adjustment, neither good nor bad, and you just need to take the time to fall back into your old routine.

Moving to the United States from France

Audrey Ruel is a former journalist from France who takes one of our English conversation classes. I asked her about her expectations about moving to the United States and what the reality has been. The following is what she shared with us:

Living in a foreign country since January 2019 has been a new experience for me. It was on my dream board to have the opportunity to spend more than vacation time outside of France. We have had this opportunity thanks to my husband's work. We moved with our two young daughters. We thought it would be a good experience for them too, and speaking English will help them throughout their entire lives. We moved 3 months before the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, we were lucky because living in the countryside during this period has been easier than it would have been in the big city where we previously lived in France (Nantes). 

I didn’t expect there to be a big gap between French and American cultures because we are both Western and we know about each other, but I was wrong! If you spend more than vacation time in a foreign country, you will understand the way of life of the local population, and I can now say that it’s really different here from my country! 

For example, my husband and I were really surprised at the beginning to see people going to restaurants at 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. In my country, dinner time is from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. American people wake up earlier, eat earlier, and go to school earlier, (and consequently go to sleep earlier), compared to France. 

Before moving, I was anxious about not speaking English well. I knew that the American accent was hard to understand, and I thought I could stay alone a long time or stay only in the French community, but I can now say that it’s really easy to form new relationships with American people. You can easily find a club or association where you can volunteer your free time and meet nice people. School is also a good place because they hold a lot of events with students and parents. You also have opportunities in your church community. My Hoosier neighbors are such nice people that I really enjoy having small talk with them. 

Living in America

We asked Audrey to share her expectations of what it would be like to live in the United States, the reality, and any advice she might have to newcomers.

Another big challenge when you move to the USA is to buy or rent a house. Real estate prices are really high compared to Europe and for less quality. Take your time to find a good place. Hopefully, we will be here for more than one year. We really enjoy our place. My family and I adore traveling in this huge and wonderful country. 

If I have advice to give, it would concern official documents. As a foreigner, there are a lot of documents to be careful with. If you can have a new passport when you move, that can help, because when the passport expires, you have to ask for a new visa, etc. If you don’t want to have immigration problems, take care of all those forms, and be as smart as possible. 

My last point is about electricity! In Europe, it is 220 volts, and in the USA it is 110 volts. You have to be aware of that point when you are packing all your stuff if you come from Europe.