When an opportunity for an International Assignment arises there are many questions that may come to mind. Adventure is at your doorstep when you say Yes to go live and work in another country. But you might also ask yourself the question “what will I miss about my home country?” before you embark on your great adventure.

Having this information might help you equip yourself to feel at home even when you are 10,000 miles away. In a recent study by Aviva UK Health, they asked Brits what would be the things that they might miss most from their home country from taking an international relocation. Many of these answers might be relevant to any country.

What would I miss if I left my home country for an International Assignment?

How to feel at home when you are living in a foreign country?

• Join an Expat Community – Hundreds of thousands of employees relocate around the world every year. There is a good chance that there are other people from your home country in your current location who are also looking for a community of people who understand each other. There are many great sites out there to help you with this search. Among them there is BritishExpats.com, and ExpatExchange. You may also want to try Googling your location plus the words “Expat Community” to see what other options might be available.
• Watch TV Episodes – Through the wonders of the internet you might be able to buy, rent or stream many of your favorite TV shows directly on the instant TV episodes section of either Amazon.com or iTunes.
• Find your Favorite Foods – Though this might be a bit of a stretch in some locations in other locations (often with the help of an expat community or with some internet research) finding your favorite foods from home might not be as difficult as it once may have been. Here is a word of advice: determine the value of the food items to you. If they are imported they might be significantly more expensive than they were in your home country.
• Connect with Friends and Family – through the use of such VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) tools such as Skype you might be able to not only talk to friends and family at long distance you can also SEE them using the video conferencing features (with a webcam) that are available either at the price of FREE or at a very low cost. Scheduling these types of calls can really connect you with your home.

Paragon Relocation has moved many many people all over the world and through the excitement of an International Assignment our International Assignment Consultants in combination with our Destination Service Provider agents are always there to help you feel as little or as much experience of home as you desire. While when living abroad it is difficult to replicate your entire experience of living at home it should be balanced with the desire to incorporate the local customs and cultures into your life to the degree you feel comfortable. By nature an International Assignment is for a short duration when at the end you will traditionally either move home, extend the assignment or take a new assignment. Therefore you should experience everything that culture has to offer while you can before you have to move on.

Recently we wrote about how to deal with Culture Shock, reading this article might also provide some tips on how to feel at home within the culture of the country you are living in.

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This was posted by

Mike Morabito – who has written 170 posts on The Paragon Relocation Blog.

Mike has over 10 years of relocation experience working for Paragon Relocation. Mike is recognized by Worldwide ERC as a Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) and a Global Mobility Specialist (GMS).

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