Who has moved to a different country? What was the hardest part about it? How long did it take to assimilate to the new culture? How long did it take to fit in? How long did it take to get settled? Why did you move? Was it because you didn't like your old country, your job moved you there, you wanted to try something different, or was it because of another reason? Was the new country culturally similar to your old country or completely different? How far away was it? Was it to another country on the same continent or did you move to a different continent? What country did you move from then to?
I've been wondering lately about the difficulties of moving to another country so I decided to try and ask people who have done it.
That sure is a lot of questions. 
Anyway I migrated from Malaysia to Australia roughly 5 years ago. I just followed my family and the main reason was for tertiary education (obviously there's more options in Australia) and another was just to get a change.
I think the hardest part was fitting in and making friends with the people here especially my classmates. We have different thinking and ways of learning. But after a year or so things got better. Oh and another big problem was being homesick. You just wished you were not in this different place and wanted to go back. Also all the friends you left behind, it just makes you regret for a little. I had this feeling for quite a while but I got over it. I moved to England (from Germany) after leaving school at 19. It was meant to be a sort of gap year, but whilst being an au-pair I met my now-husband and the rest is history! That was 13 years ago and we now have two little boys, too. Coming here wasn't too difficult as I had little to leave behind in Germany. My insurance and things like that were just put on hold for the year. I went back for a little while to study at university and soon got frustrated with the bureaucracy and narrow-mindedness back home - so I moved back to England for good! This time round I had to cancel everything properly in Germany and sort out things for myself here - it was hard work but I got there - and I was only 20 at the time. Don't expect to have everything set up at once, make a list of the most important things and work your way down. Also, don't under-estimate the amount you can research and sort out over the net these days without even setting foot in the new country first!
Good luck!
I have lived in a few different countries and spent a lot of time away from home. So much, that when I return home it feels just as foreign as a new country.
I think the practicalities are the hardest - little things like knowing how to call the operator or shopping in the super-market. Things that you think are the same everywhere, but just aren't. But the experience of living and knowing a different country are well worth the hassles. I love all the countries I have lived in and they are all home in a way. But I am glad I don't plan to move to a new country anytime soon.
I would always advise people to try a new place. Even if you hate it, you will love home when you get back!
I'd like to move to another country but just don't know how to go about getting a job elsewhere. How do I, living in the US, get a job in another country? I also have a family to move with me, which would complicate things. I'd like my daughter to have the experience of living abroad, and I'd like it for myself as well. I'm not interested in teaching English as a second language. I don't think I'd do well.
I'm planning on moving to another country - USA to Bolivia. It's a lot more difficult than what I thought it would be. I'm taking my 2 year old son and going with a group of people to go to the Rurrenabaque/Ixiamas area to open and run an orphanage with an on-site school and clinic. I will be teaching, also, which will let me not only get experience doing ESL, but to 'home school' my son when he is a bit older, which I have always wanted to do. If I ever get tired of Bolivia, which I doubt will happen for a good long time, I can use my experience in Asia for ESL work. I'm also only 2 classes away from finishing my master's degree, so that will help, too. As for moving, we're looking into getting containers to move all our things. A forty foot long container. It's HUGE! These are really railroad cars. My son and I are going to get about 6 foot (by 8 by 8, which is the width and the height of the container) of the 40 available, because there are other people going. Then we have the airline tickets, the visas ($100 each), and then spending money until we get ourselves all settled. The head people of our group are in charge of purchasing the land, so I don't have to deal with that aspect, but ther are cities in Bolivia where you pay for a whole year's worth of rent, and at the end of the year, you get your rent back. ALL of your rent. They invest it, and then give it back at the end of the year. We won't be moving to that area, though. I know the culture is going to be very different from what I know here (Indiana), but I think it will be a welcome change from all the 'keeping up with the Jones's' that the USA is turning itself into while it avoids thinking about where the government is taking the country to.... don't get me started on that, I go off on too many tangents there, which you'll soon notice I have no problem veering off......... This is why I joined here - I get a blog, a website, and a forum to let me burn off all the thoughts running through my head. I'll be posting stuff on the website and the blog as we go along and get things ready. I've had our passports ready for some time (you can get visas there in Bolivia), checked out the three flights we need to take (no non-stop here), and been packing left and right since I found out on Leap Day, 2008. I just don't know what will happen if I can't post, but that is for another post, I suppose. I'll keep updating my blog as soon as I get it.
Moving to another country is hard, and harder when you are out of your teens. The younger you are the more flexible and easier to fit in. You need to have a burning passion to move, a positive attitude and be 150% well prepared. There are always people who will take shots at your decision to move, and you should try and shut them out after you have made your decision. When you get to the new country you need to do the same. Only surround yourself with likeminded people who are 100% committed to make a success of the move. You are sure to find people from your country in the new country who are unhappy or thinking of moving back. This is the time of survival when you need to turn your back on them in a nice way.
You can prepare as you like for about every eventuality, but there is a certain deeper psychological dimension that you cannot be prepared for. It is loosening yourself from a certain group dynamic and having to re-integrate yourself in a new one in the new country. Where you come from a number of people can testify who you are just by the way they interact with you. Communications are very clear and open and one does not even think about how you communicate with one another. Where you go, initially you have to be very careful to communicate correctly. Different words may mean differently in the new country. Different non-verbal body language may also mean different things. Almost as though you have to recreate yourself from scratch. But usually if you are patient and positive, you may find that you end up with the exact same kind of friends you had from where you travelled from. If you had problems with friends and family where you come from, these same problems will surface again. You are who you are wherever you travel. You may find different opportunities though and/or be more lucky. It may also test you to the extent that you become stronger in yourself.
But most important you need to do your research very well before you leave. I.e. how well are people doing in the profession that you are going to practice? Etc. Do you have enough funds to support yourself until you find a new job. Do you have enough funds to survive if something should go wrong with the job that was offered to you.
I lived in Singapore from Jan 2005 - June 2007. I moved there because of my husband's job.
There are many things to adjust to when you move to a foreign country. A new culture, not knowing how things work, making new friends, not knowing the language, being a minority. The list goes on and on. I have one friend who's been an ex-pat for almost 15 years. She says the first year is ALWAYS the hardest. I would have to agree. You leave behind your entire support system and have to start all over from scratch. In my case, I had to get used to being stared at. I have red hair and while I'm really very ordinary looking, in Asia I'm beautiful.
While we were in Singapore we traveled frequently to Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Beijing, Bali (which is in Indonesia), and Cambodia. I'm sure there're more places, but . . .
So while the adjustment was difficult, it was well worth it. The world becomes a much larger place. You quickly realize how powerful and influential America is. And you learn to appreciate, accept, and even admire the cultural differences. If you are a typical American, you think you are accepting of other races, religions, ideologies, etc. Once you live in another country, you understand it on a deeper level.
I think every person should live in another country for at least 2 years. It's very enriching.
I moved to another country temporarliy before I had children. Me and my husband moved to Vancouver, Canada and lived there for almost 2 years.
Practically the hardest things were setting up a bank account, knowing the right area to live... ie. where would be convient for us, as neither had jobs yet, but would also be affordable and convenient for weekend fun as well.
One advantage that we had was that we are both christians and so one of first priorities was to find a church to go to, and we knew of one that a friend had gone to earlier. So as soon as we went to that church we made some great friends and that helped heaps with everything from choosing where to live to just being happy. You need friends to keep you sain.
Moving to a country that spoke our native language was also an advantage. It was an amazing experience and I would reccomend it to everyone. Even if you arent a christian you should find a church to go to... hopefully you will find loving christian people who will take you in and help you settle in! And then everything else should fall into place fairly easily after that!
I wanna be moved to another country... maybe my company could do that in short terms (a couple of months). I will need more info about the new country and stuff. At least I travel alone. With kids or wife, it's more difficult, I guess.
The Difficulty of moving to a different country really depends of where you from and where you are going.. I think every situation is a unique one. It also depends on your attitude, in what way you are willing to addept, or how flexible you are..
I went to Shanghai myself (I am from the Netherlands). In the beginning its quite a culture shock, however after a while you start to get used to the things that seemed to be weird in the beginning. Now, after three years, most things don't suprise me anymore, and i even notice some value's or habits i had in the Netherlands faded away, and got replaced by Chinese.
The language barrier is still a big pain in the ass. I master a basic level, and am able to communicate in most situations. However, it's still not sufficient.
Moving to a new country gives a big kcik too. I am kinda thinking of moving ffwd these days and start from scratch in a new country/environment. It's a slow, and luxurious version of backpacking.
Plus it looks good on your CV too..
ohhh...this is really a great conversation in here. I'd like to moved out from my country too. I got sick and tired of my country for the government and has no improvement.it really sucks to hear news day to day. i wish i can moved out that easily but it takes time.
I was actually thinking of touring Europe and firts I have to go and see Netherlands then Estonia then Poland. I have only seen so many good things there on TV and documentaries so i want to go and see whaz going on there. I miss home but I really love living in Europe. I treat it like a whole country when its not... I am originally from Hong Kong and moved to the states when I was 12. Being Chinese, I already felt pretty alien there, but I am also a bit mixed, 1/8 something else, so even in Hong Kong as a child I was getting some feedback from people who have tunnel-vision. Now I am in Spain and its been a tough summer learning Spanish, but its a lot more fun to learn than German. Going to Switzerland soon, so I gotta brush up on my German. But really focus on the language studies and you will be able to appreciate all the little things, like the tapas in Spain! (I still don't get how anyone can learn Chinese when he or she has not grown up with it... Props!)
I moved from South Africa to Japan.
The differences were absolutely massive, in everything from the languages, to peoples' personality and viewpoints, to the landscapes, to the food....
The adjustment wasn't that bad though. At the same time as you're noticing how many things are different, you also notice how many things are just the same.
The biggest problem was the language, and the effective illiteracy. Only now am I starting to get a grip on the language (after two years) so that I can now buy magazines aimed at teenagers. 
Now that I can finally have conversations with people, though, I never want to leave!
It was pretty tough adjusting, but the lovely people here made it so much easier! Wow... I wanna leave my country (for a while) and my candidates country are: Canadá, Japan, England, France, and Spain.
I want to moved out anywhere as long as i am away from our sickening country...hell to our corrupt government. they were all thinking themselves.
