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Now you need a place to live. How do you find one in a foreign country? If it’s hectic and frustrating to accomplish it in your own country, it’s going to be more so in a new one. However, families of all sizes and shapes have done it successfully; you can too.
So, what kind of residence DO you want? House, condominium, apartment, duplex, cabin, or just a couple of rooms? Much will depend on your location, and of course, your budget. How many bedrooms will you need? Does the place have running water inside the house? Will you be wanting hot water in all the faucets, or just in the shower? Do you want a gas or an electric water heater? Will you have to buy individual gas water heaters for every faucet, according to the layout of the residence? Do you want to be close to your place of work or school, because you don’t have your own transportation? Do you have allergies to certain building materials, like adobe, cement, or even the wax that you would need to wax a wooden floor? How about security? Do you want an apartment in a building with intercoms and a security guard in the lobby? If you can afford it, and it’s available, that might be your best option. Be prepared to pay First World prices, though. But, perhaps you’re more budget-conscious. Here are some things to think about. Be observant regarding the neighboring houses. Do they have high gates and fences? Does everyone have at least one dog? Do you see bars on the windows? (One interesting variation that caught my attention on my first visit to Ecuador; broken bottles cemented to the top of the fence walls, instead of barbed wire.) Barred or iron doors, in addition to the front and back doors? Alarms on their doors or intercoms? Do their gates and fence walls prevent you from seeing the house? In short, take a tip from your neighbors, and then, “up the ante” a little. For instance, can you buy or bring with you those little door and window alarms that sound off when the contact between the door jamb sensor and the door sensor is broken. If your neighbors hear it enough, they’ll think that your whole place is protected by an alarm system. (It may also make them think that you have a lot to rob; unfortunately, that “comes with the territory” of being a foreigner.) Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Living Abroad- Housing 1 in Living in a Foreign Country is owned by Julie Thompson. Permission to republish Living Abroad- Housing 1 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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