{"id":8846,"date":"2022-08-14T15:25:22","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T15:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=8846"},"modified":"2022-08-14T15:25:26","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T15:25:26","slug":"ten-commandments-of-relocating-overseas-1-learn-as-much-as-possible-about-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/ten-commandments-of-relocating-overseas-1-learn-as-much-as-possible-about-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Commandments of Relocating Overseas #1: Learn as much as possible about\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learn as much as possible about the host country in order to have realistic expectations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How much can you learn about a host country before you arrive? Yes, thank goodness for the internet and its endless (and sometimes tiresome) list of websites that try and shed light on the many facets of the host country\u2019s culture and language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A type of website that might be the most informative: personal blogs of expats that live in the host country.\u00a0 Certainly, they are the best type of website to gather information about the host country.\u00a0 The blogger typically is very explicit and candid about their day-to-day experiences living there.\u00a0 Personal blogs of international teachers are even better.\u00a0 I love reading from their entries even before they arrive in their new country to when they have been there three years later. \u00a0Some of the international teacher blogs<\/a> that we have highlighted on International School Community so far:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0Education Rickshaw<\/a> (China)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0Expat Heather<\/a> (South Korea)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0Josefino Rivera<\/a> (Bulgaria)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I must say that I knew close to nothing about the country I am currently in, and the people from where I am from knew even less.\u00a0 Sometimes you just got to go there yourself to see about the culture and language of the host country\u2019s people.\u00a0 When I go home now, I am inundated with questions about what life is like there\u2026and some of the questions are really unbelievable (but I was once in their shoes I\u2019m sure).\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it is hard to get away from the stereotypes that we have about each culture group in the world.\u00a0 The issue is, as we all know, that the stereotype might actually be true for the majority of the people in the host country.\u00a0 However, it is NOT true for EVERYONE in the country.\u00a0 You cannot group everyone in one culture group together.\u00a0 I just read recently that due to the Danish cultural norms Danes don\u2019t try and make good friends with people that they work with.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that there are a few Danes that hang out with their co-workers outside of work and call them their best friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realistic expectations? This will take some good research I think.\u00a0 Every time I go to a new location, one of the things I do is buy the latest Lonely Planet<\/a> for that country\/city.\u00a0 For sure after reading a bit of that travel book I can have my expectations be a tiny be more realistic, if not even make them a bit more exciting.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about you though, but I am quite sensitive to culture shock.\u00a0 So, even if I have realistic expectations and am ready to expect the unexpected, I am still subjected to embarrassing mood swings about the things that in theory I had already expected.\u00a0 One of the joys of living abroad I suppose.\u00a0 By the way, I subscribe to the idea of cherishing all emotions: the good and the not-so-good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Last thing that I know about how to find out the most I can about my future host country: talk to people that currently work at the school.\u00a0 Not the administrator, the human resources department, etc\u2026the real people that work there who will really tell you how it is.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always received a few contact email addresses of some teachers that I can contact during the summer.\u00a0 I have even had a Skype call with one of them which really helped I think get my expectations to be a little more realistic.\u00a0 It is key to talk to people and gather as much information as possible.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was submitted by a guest author and ISC member.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now on <\/em>International School Community<\/em><\/a> you can get in contact with a number of <\/em>our members<\/em><\/a> who know about more than 1300+ international schools, and the list of schools our members know about is growing!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn as much as possible about the host country in order to have realistic expectations. How much can you learn about a host country before you arrive? Yes, thank goodness for the internet and its endless (and sometimes tiresome) list of websites that try and shed light on the many facets of the host country\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[49],"tags":[831,30,242,783,408,760,832,60,833],"class_list":["post-8846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ten-commandments-of-relocating-overseas","tag-communication","tag-international-school-community","tag-international-school-teaching","tag-international-teacher-blog","tag-malaysia","tag-nexus-international-school","tag-realistic-expectations","tag-teaching-abroad","tag-working-abroad"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Copy-of-Recently-Updated-Schools.jpeg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-2iG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8900,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/ten-commandments-of-relocating-overseas-3-do-not-expect-to-replicate-your-current-lifestyle\/","url_meta":{"origin":8846,"position":0},"title":"Ten Commandments of Relocating Overseas #3: Do not expect to replicate your current lifestyle\u2026","author":"ISCommunity","date":"October 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Do not expect to replicate your current lifestyle. Look for what is there, not for what isn\u02bct. \u201cWherever you go, there you are.\u201d\u00a0 A psychologist friend of mine told me that one time, and I think it is 100% true.\u00a0 I\u2019m not for sure international school teachers are moving from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ten Commandments of Relocating Overseas"","block_context":{"text":"Ten Commandments of Relocating Overseas","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/ten-commandments-of-relocating-overseas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shoes-gfb31d3ba3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shoes-gfb31d3ba3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shoes-gfb31d3ba3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shoes-gfb31d3ba3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shoes-gfb31d3ba3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8865,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/ten-commandments-of-relocating-overseas-2-anticipate-a-challenging-adjustment-period-of\/","url_meta":{"origin":8846,"position":1},"title":"Ten Commandments of Relocating Overseas #2: Anticipate a challenging adjustment period of\u2026","author":"ISCommunity","date":"September 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Anticipate a challenging adjustment period of at least SIX months. 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