Does Living Abroad Enrich or Frustrate You?

Have your experiences living in a new country enriched your life, changed your world view, or have cultural differences and language barriers frustrated you? Video or text responses please. Hopefully we can get a good dialogue going.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• abroad
• living
• culture
• countries
• home
• travel
• lifestyle
• gaijinguide
• gaijin
• foreigner
• expat
• kansai
• gaidai

[ilovesilvia69]

What training coarse did you take, TESOL?

[GaijinGuide]

I actually haven't taken one. It isn't a requirement of the JET Program, and I felt that it wasn't necessary for me to take because my resume matched up nicely with what the program was looking for and I was already well qualified for the position.

[nice2meetya]

Well, we live in Germany and have been here for 3 months. To answer enriched, or frustrated is hard. It's done both equally. It's enriched us with the new culture, how things are done differently. Also as a couple being so far away from home, and truly coming together as a unit. It has been equally frustrating in a sense that we could have planned better before leaving, and just the simple element of surprise; not knowing what to expect.

[GaijinGuide]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I think that we are enriched through the frustration. A lot of it often comes from the fact that things are done differently or not being able to do things that one could do back in one's country,but I always like to take a step back at that moment to open up my thinking and put myself in a Japanese person's shoes.Living abroad forces you to fit into different cultures and expand the avenues you take to tackle different problems and that's why I like it.

[lintonlin]

IN NO WAY ENRICHED---BUT TOTALLY FRUSTRATED - STAY HOME

[retirecheapjc]

Many people are asking the same question. Especially older people who are reaching retirement age. For them the initial push is a better financial future. Somewhere where they can live with some comfort on those small checks. But after living in a country where it isn't a fear based society and where family plays a VERY big role. Foreigners really see what they have been lacking in the western culture. I think that is when they really feel enriched. By the way, it is my video response.

[ritamix33]

@uzavas LMFAO!!!!

[chrisfo19]

Me too I can't wait I plan to live France, Brazil, Japan, Spain, and Korea. I just can't stand the US anymore. At least there Ann Coulter shows her face We get to beat her and also to get away from Glenn Beck and all the other nutjobs.

[uzavas]

i would love to live abroad but how would i get work? lose the 80's cop glasses bro

[clayLavl]

living abroad enriches you. i'm from the usa. i lived in brazil. i will go back soon.

[kairosan]

teaches me a new perceptive, sometimes, the people there are much more friendlier and happier, some are brushed wit with working industrial lifestyles...

[john123wayne]

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm...

umm......ummmmmmmmmmm....ummm

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

ummmm

um

ummmmmmmmmmm

um ummm ummmmmmmmmmmmm um