Expat Heroes share precious expat to expat advice

When interviewing our Expat Heroes (whom you can meet here), we asked them what is the most precious advice they could give other expats. Something they themselves didn’t know and had to find out on their own or something they had been told was important even before starting their new life abroad.

 

So, we gathered many kinds of expat to expat advice that we’d like to share with you. They range from encouragements like ‘if you want to go back to your home country, don’t lose that faith’ to carpe diem-like advice such as ‘enjoy your new life as much as you can’ or ‘learn the culture and adapt, become part of the community’.

 

Many of the people we talked to advise expats not to be afraid of making changes, even if they mean giving up their convenience, and to stay calm no matter what may happen. Other kinds of advice say ‘Live your life!’, ‘Work and be honest’, and ‘Visit your family as often as possible’.

 

 

Expats shouldn’t forget where they come from and they should make it a priority to keep in touch with the loved ones back home. Many people also advise fellow expats to use KeepCalling. 🙂

 

 

Here are some of the wisest pieces of advice our Expat Heroes offered other expats, just like you:

 

 Integrate into the society quickly. Don’t miss the opportunity to get to know the new culture by only meeting people from your own country. – Karin Hiort

 

 Enjoy everything as much as you can. – Angel Cabrera

 

 Stay connected with your family & childhood memories; they are a treasure in times of distress. – James

 

 Do volunteer work to make friends. – Gillian McConnell

 

 Follow your dreams and work hard to achieve them. – Roy Shin

 

 Be open-minded, don’t make assumptions or judgments. – Catherine Lortie

 

Integrate into the country you are living in without losing your identity. – Ram Lakshmanan

 

 Be strong… especially if you are without your family. – Eric

 

 Stay in contact with your culture and respect every other culture you meet along the way. – AnaMaria Silvia

 

 Don’t forget your roots! – Stella Peterson

 

Try to connect with other expats in the new culture but always stay connected to your home. – Jean-Claude

 

 Work hard and never quit. – Rafael Sobrino

 

 Be flexible and sensible. – Lao

 

Try to mingle with other people from other cultures, especially with the natives from the country you’re in. When you try to integrate in the new society, people become more open to you and they embrace you more easily. – Cristina Neacsu

 

Don’t miss opportunities to travel, it is worth it. – Boriana

 

 Learn the local language and follow the rules of the country you’re living in. – Claudia Alegria

 

 Enjoy your new life and stay connected to your old one. – Anna

 

 Hang in there! Take everything lightly and move on. – Eric Esron

 

 Keep calm, don’t panic. Be patient and most of all be kind and polite. – Ravinesh

 

Stay in touch with your family using KeepCalling. – Subbarao Yalla