In the previous article in this primer, I talked a lot about how to function when living overseas and what to do while getting started. This portion will continue that idea, as well as offer some ways to help get the most out of your time living overseas. While this advice is detailed, it is far from everything that can be done, and you should always be willing to take a step into the unknown. It’s the only way you will ever get to have an amazing story.
Getting Settled
One of the hardest parts of being a new place is making sure that you feel comfortable enough to feel at home. This is especially true when living in a foreign country, and even more so when you live in a place where you don’t even know the language. Feeling like you have nowhere to start or not knowing how to start is perfectly natural. The first thing to always do is just to exist in the moment. Take in your surroundings as much as you can and let it be mapped in your mind. This will help keep you from getting overwhelmed, as well as offer some chances to let you think about your space. Once you have taken it all in and you are finally ready to start with the next phase of settling in, take it slow. The first thing that I did when I arrived in my unit in Korea was take a shower, and that is what I recommend when starting out. This helps reset your mind with the temperature difference and gives you a feeling like this is truly a fresh start. Doing this also helps begin the unpacking process, which will acclimatize you to your new surroundings. Remember to take it slow and easy because you won’t feel comfortable right off. Taking the time to feel comfortable with where you are will help you adapt faster to the new surroundings of another place.
Homesickness
The cost of living abroad comes with the price of missing your home culture and often creates a level of anxiety in our minds. There is no cure for getting homesick abroad, at least not one that would completely solve it, but there are workarounds. First of these would be to keep a little something from home to hold on to, a photograph, a blanket, or even just having a comfort food from home can help. I remember keeping a jar of peanut butter with me in my barracks room in Korea for nothing else except to make a peanut butter sandwich. It doesn’t have to be big, just enough to make your residence feel a little more like home. The second way to help deal with homesickness is a little extreme, however, very effective: complete and total cultural immersion. This would mean completely immersing yourself in the culture and living like a native. While this is very effective in keeping yourself busy and adapting, it may have some unintended side effects mentally. I would only recommend this for your time abroad if you are either wanting to expatriate or if you are close to that culture. The third and possibly best mitigation for homesickness is to communicate with home. One of the first questions asked when I was in the military was: “When was the last time you called home?” This question helped most when I felt the most isolated from everyone and everything. This was also the most difficult because of the time difference, since Seoul was fourteen hours ahead of Virginia. Calling home from another country can be done when planned right, specifically given the technology today, like Zoom, WhatsApp, and FaceTime (in my day, all I had was Skype or a VOIP phone). It may not happen often, but calling home can provide a catharsis and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. As my dad always said, “Call your mother, she worries.”
Stay Informed and Stay Healthy
When living abroad, it is very important to keep up to date with advisories and your own health. Depending on the place you are traveling, health care could be provided for low cost or can be covered for a nominal fee. When traveling, however, I would strongly advise keeping at least a few weeks of medication with you until you get settled into the place you are staying. The CDC has a comprehensive guide, which I recommend getting familiar with for understanding what to do if you have a medical issue overseas.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/health-care-during-travel
One of the most important things to keep track of while overseas is your passport and visa status. Your entire time living abroad will be determined by how long you can stay and ensuring you have little issue returning home. This means keeping up with your passport and visa status. Given current events, remember to keep your passport and identification secure and up to date before heading overseas, and keep them current while overseas. For all the information you need to keep up with, as well as some good advice on returning, consult the State Department’s website. Also, to note, should you have any issues while overseas, stop by the nearest American Consulate office and let them know what is going on. They have resources available to help, should there be any issues.
To quote the late Anthony Bourdain, “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you.” Traveling is first-hand education that will irrevocably change how you see the world and your worldview. It may not always be pleasant, but it will always give you the most precious and valuable thing of all: a changed mind and an open heart. Having the courage to step out, try something new, and be completely immersed in a culture foreign to our own comfort is a blessing. It is how we get to be the most human, by experiencing humanity.
Edited and Reviewed by Rylee Lyons
