Living & Working Overseas

Living & Working Overseas

 

One hears and reads all sorts of talk about how wonderful it is to live and work overseas. How it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, how your life will never be the same and how it has opened up the world to a person.

Honestly? I have lived overseas for about 26 months now, short of trips home and vacations to other countries, I can honestly say, I have learned a few things. Some good, some bad.

Good

1.    People are people. They want to be happy, they want health care, education for their children, enough food on the table, they like to laugh, and they enjoy downtime. Hearing a taxi driver tell you about his children, all with a smile on his face.

2.    You get to try some wonderful foods, you would normally never get a chance to try anywhere else in the world. Fresh, wood oven baked, spiced bread, steaming as it’s placed on your table.

3.    You meet others like yourself, expats who are exploring the world for the first time, people who are living to travel, people who are trying to make money and those trying to be productive in their remaining working careers. These people are your connection home, they are the ones that make the living overseas bearable.

4.    Some places have ridiculously inexpensive basics. Food, water, gasoline and various other items. Gasoline for 26 cents a litre or a whole chicken, French fries and bread for 5 dollars or a dollar beer.

5.    Experiences. You get to experience things you could never experience in suburban Toronto. Walk places, see things, swim in water most people have never heard of. Sitting out a tropical storm on a balcony with a drink in hand.

 

Bad  

 

1.    A lack of empathy amongst some people, where tunnel vision is the norm, and to hell with anyone else. Doors slammed in your face, because it would inconvenience the person in front of you for three seconds to hold it for you.

2.    Food that tastes the same. Out for dinner with 5 other people, everyone orders something different and because of the spices and cooking techniques, everything not only comes out tasting the same, but has the same texture.

3.    Inefficiency and ineptness seem to be built into many systems around the world. When 95% of your population is employed by the government, one really doesn’t care if you have to see 10 people in 5 buildings just to get a driver’s licence.  

4.    Poor infrastructure.

5.    A belief that they, their people and their way of life is the model society for the world. It’s funny so many countries believe this, western nations and others, they all can’t be right!