Your integration
What are you planning to do there?
Here is what we heard from men and women moving:
No idea yet
It could be that you didn’t even have time to plan for your move. Maybe you left in a rush like some Ukrainian People did because of the instability in Ukraine.
It could be that the past few years have been pretty overwhelming for you and that you will see what you can do once you have moved.
To settle first
Your finances are good and you don’t need to work for now.
It could be that the cost of life where you move is much lower than where you come from and you can afford not to work for a while
To participate in a community
You selected a specific community you want to move to (ecovillage, protective community, …). It may be that you do not need cash in this community as members exchange products and services.
To work
You are entering on a business visa so you’ve got to invest cash in a business.
You have registered your own business and you want to start a business there. In that case, I would advise you to visit the business section of Peoplelyzer as you may find there useful tips.
You have already secured a job prior to moving there. Great! Congratulation.
You are planning to find small jobs once you get there. I would advise you to read the business section of Peoplelyzer. It will help you to understand how to create value for People and increase your revenues.
To retire
Your pension is coming every month and you already have some assets. You are planning to enjoy life there. Awesome! You should have quite some time to integrate yourself with the local folks.
These are some examples. They show you that what you will do there can be pre-defined by the plan you spent time creating, by yourself, or with your family prior to moving here.
If you have the option to check the place first it is important because you will get a better feeling of what you can do there especially if you want to work. If you have never been there then there is likely a gap between your expectations and the reality. You can reduce this gap by talking to a local contact point.
The local contact point
We heard numerous stories related to moving. Many have in common the fact that the People moving had a local contact point on the ground who greatly facilitated their integration. They were in contact with this local contact point prior to moving.
The local contact point gave them access to valuable information that greatly facilitated their move. Information such as where to live and where not to live, the specifics of some areas, how to rent a property, how to buy a property, what price to expect for a car, a flat rental or anything else.
Our advice is to try to find a local contact point. Talk to People around you, talk to us as well.
Integration with local People
Numerous opportunities will come from men and women who are already living at your destination location. From our experience, we have seen two different behaviors. The People who move and try to integrate themselves with the local population and the People who move and stick with their community (for example, American People regrouping in the same area in Mexico or German folks regrouping in the same city in Uruguay).
We advise you to have some level of integration with local People. Here are ideas to integrate yourself with the local population:
Make an effort to learn the local language. At least learn the basics such as the most common words used. The more effort you make to speak in the language of the local People the more they will perceive you positively. You are making an effort to understand what they say and to share what you want to say in their language. Fake it until you make it. You do not need to understand everything. Don’t stop local folks every time you don’t understand a word, let them express themselves. Try to remember the words and research them at home. In some countries knowing a bit of the local language can prevent you from getting scammed and enable you to access market prices.
Esdras mentioned a useful tip. Learn how to say “Sorry. I am [your nationality]. I don’t speak [the local language]”. Simply using this will facilitate the interaction with the other person. It’s way better than not being able to say a single word and leaving.
Interact with local People. Daily, you should have opportunities to interact with local People. Seize these opportunities. Going down to the grocery store, picking up kids from the school, … . If you do not speak the local language do learn one or two handy sentences (presenting yourself, asking how the person is doing).
Smile. Smile to People. It needs to be a true smile though.
Join local communities or initiatives. Find out what are the local communities, groups, or initiatives and try to get into one of them. Seize opportunities to meet People and talk to them. If you do not speak the local language, use a translator app or prepare several words that will be handy for you to use.
Give back to local communities. If you feel like doing it give back to local communities in terms of time, effort, or money. Depending on where you go the living standard may be way below the one you have. Offering your time, effort or money can support local People. We do not advise giving money directly as this can create issues for yourself (you will be perceived as the wealthy man, woman, or family and you will attract jealousy). Preferably give back in terms of time, effort or purchase a good that local People need. For instance, donate for the building of a school or a local park or simply get a bike for a local family. Give back smartly. You will also learn from your mistakes. If something does not work, understand why and adjust your actions.
Expectation vs reality
Now, it may turn out that things don’t happen as planned. This is called “life”. Life seldom happens as you plan it. You wanted to be an architect and you ended up being a doctor. You were planning to have a family with three kids and you ended up a solo adventurer. And this is fine provided you accept it.
Business doesn’t turn out to be good. You were planning to start a venture in solar energy but you didn’t know that here politicians aren’t in favor of it.
Work opportunities aren’t as good as you thought.
Your pension is not coming as you thought it would be. Yep, the government in the country where your pension is paid has decided to cut your pensions by 25%.
What will draw the line between someone who makes it and someone who fails the integration in the next place has a lot to do with mindset. What should I do if things don’t turn out as planned?
Acknowledge it.
Acknowledge the situation is different from what you planned.
Understand why.
What is this gap due to? Were you missing a piece of information? Did you make a wrong assumption?
Identify options.
What are your options? Don’t hesitate to take a good night's sleep or even a few days off if necessary. You want to be in a good mindset to look at options. Ask for help. Share your issue with your friends, especially the ones who are supportive or have great ideas.
Move on if necessary.
Accept the situation and move on. You may have lost time, money, and effort and this is fine. The key point is that you are stopping losses now and you take action.