How to prepare your family for moving overseas
Tuesday, 30th June 2009
Moving with your family overseas, whether it is for a new job or just a new experience, can be very rewarding. Preparing for the move will be an exciting time but also a daunting time, as there is much to do in order to make the move as smooth as possible.
Organization is key when it comes to making an efficient transition for your family. Begin by having a checklist ready, prioritizing by the most timely and expensive details first. For example, wrapping up a lease with a housing agent or selling your house in your home country should come first. Following on from that, solidify living accommodation in your new home overseas. The most important thing for a family is to feel comfortable in the new home. When you are in new and unfamiliar surroundings, when it comes to a major life change such as moving overseas, nothing is healthier psychologically then for children to feel safe and nurtured in their own home.
Children will need to have been signed up for school before they arrive in their new country. From your home country you can do research and decide if you would like your children to be immersed fully in the local school or if you would like them to attend an American ex-pat school. Registration, passports, visas and other paperwork will need to be in order months ahead of your move.
As the new country you are moving to may have a completely different climate than your current home country, make sure that you pack appropriately for your move. See if you can rent a self-storage unit for things that you do not want to get rid of or would not be ideal to bring with you. Prepare months ahead when it comes to shipping - sea/boat shipping is always cheaper than air but it takes much longer.
Now that hopefully the logistics are all in order, you’ll need to prepare your family ideologically for the move. Learn as much about the new culture and language that is spoken in the country before you leave. This could include taking a weekly evening language course. You can also hire a private tutor to teach the new language to the family. To bring the family closer still, choose a night a week that only the new language can be spoken around the dinner table.
Make a commitment to finding out as much about the country as you can before hand. This includes using your local library for resources, as well as the web. Research local religious traditions, the history of the country, and the geographical terrain. Find out about local transit and customs such as tipping.
Many people understand their own culture only and make the mistake of thinking that people in other countries have a common understanding about the way the world works. This is not so. Every country has its own history which is completely different to any other. Out of this history comes the country’s unique ideology. The more chance you have to research and understand this new ideology, the better chance you have of enjoying your new life with your family overseas.
Tags: juniors, language course, tailor-made, part-time evening course, italian, german, french, spanish
Posted by Jessica Wingate 2009-06 under Experience Cultures,
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