Living Abroad

Have you ever lived in a foreign country? Have you ever seriously considered it? Have you ever dreamed of packing up, selling out, getting on an airplane,(or ship, or train, or even into your own car; it´s relatively easy to cross borders in Europe, for example), and making your home in another country? Compared to centuries past, it´s easy to do, and being done more often by more people. Sadly, in many cases, it is unavoidable. War, natural disasters, civil unrest, ethnic "cleansings" and other problemshave made the world a more dangerous place to live in. Many of us are familiar with television images of refugees fleeing their home for fear of attacks upon their persons, their families or their property. However, there is the other side of the coin. Would you like to volunteer your services to a non-profit organization that has an opening overseas, say in Slovenia? Maybe your job needs a capable employee in Vanuatu. Or, perhaps you´d just like to find out what life is like in Liechtenstein. Whatever your reasons, be they impulsive or carefully thought out, here are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, what kind of climate would you prefer? Hot, cold, humid, dry, jungle, mountains, beach, islands, city, country; which one would you like to try out? Of course, there are countries with multiple climates. For example, Ecuador, in South America, has four major climates; coastal, jungle, mountain and the Galápagos Islands. Alaska, in North America, was known as "Seward´s Folly", or "Seward´s Icebox" at the time of its purchase from Imperial Russia in the 19th century because of its generally cold, snowy cliamte. However, it also has a narrow strip of land in its southeastern "panhandle" that is a rain forest with Sitka spruces. Even Great Britain, typically stereotyped as always rainy, has a climate that has made the world famous Kew Gardens a haven for such diverse plants as West Indian cocoa, Andean evergreen cinchona and Tahitian breadfruit. In other words, don´t believe in stereotypes; do research on the country´s climate. In fact, there are many other aspects of living abroad that you can do research on. Language, culture, cost of living, food availibility and variety, housing- look it up. You can consult encyclopedias, national history books, the Internet. Try talking with residents and citizens from your particular choice. One thing you might want to avoid; travel magazines. While such magazines are useful for tourists, if you´re going to live in a foreign country, you´ll need more background into HOW to live there. After all, you can´t stay in a four-star hotel forever!

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