Lateral Drift

Preparing to live overseas, as many may know, can be quite the process.  For the last couple months, I have been preparing for a year long move to South Korea where I will be teaching English as a second language.  Besides the obvious administrative tasks that go along with traveling outside the county, such as applying for visa,  a lot of prep work is involved if you want to hit the ground running.  Below I have compiled a short list of things I do to prepare for any long journey. They should also help to minimize any feelings of culture shock you experience over your stay.  Hopefully, this list will be of some help to others that find themselves in similar circumstances.

1.  Learn As Much of the Language As You Can

From taking a taxi, going to the grocery store, to making native friends, every bit of the target language you learn will help make your experience go more smoothly.  In everyday interactions, trying to speak someone else’s language will generally arouse a softer tone and more receptive response.  Most people are happy that you are attempting to speak their language as it demonstrates respect and interest in their culture.  But learning the language of the country to which you are traveling will do more than facilitate taking a taxi.  It can open up new worlds and opportunities that would have not been accessible otherwise.  I know from experience that had I only visited restaurants in Peru or Spain catered towards English speakers and not gone off the beaten path to where the locales dine, I would have missed many culinary gems.  I mean this in the context of the quality of the food but it is important to note that most of these restaurants were considerably cheaper as well.

If you plan on staying in country for a considerable amount of time as I am about to do there is another benefit to learning the native language; making new friends.  I have heard that for South Korea specifically there are many people who already know how to speak English to some extent, and many teachers have gotten by for a whole year of teaching without learning any Korean, but doing so, in my opinion, will only limit your ability to branch out and meet native people who would have otherwise been out of reach.  I have a suspicion that most who decide not to pick up any of the language are spending the majority, if not all of their time, with fellow ex-pats.  If that seems sufficient for you, then perfect, but if you are like me and are traveling to a new place for the chance to learn and experience a new culture, I wouldn’t recommend that road.

In the end, weighing factors such as the amount of time you will spend in the country, useful application of the language after you leave, and personal interest in building new friendships will determine how much time you will spend studying.  I personally have studied Korean about 80-100 hours, and now feel I have a basic grasp of the language and general expressions.

2.  Study Basic History, Geography, and Culture

Knowing the basic history, geography, and culture of a country will greatly help you put your new surroundings into context and will help alleviate any culture shock and confusion you may suffer as a result of not knowing the basics.  I am not saying that I go out and sit down for hours reading history books but I instead usually tackle this in a more entertaining way.  To prepare for Korea, I have watched numerous Korean movies, browsed a coffee table picture guide to Korean culture, and read it’s Wikipedia.  These things along with small cultural lessons in my Korean language lessons have made learning about this stuff painless.

3.  Learn How to Effectively Teach in Another Culture

This step is specifically for those who are planning or thinking about teaching in another culture.  As I have learned from researching about teaching in Korea, the role of a teacher, student, or school can be much different from those in the United States.  Going into a position blindly unaware of dramatic differences in the teaching environment could make your job unnecessarily stressful and could potentially hinder your students ability to learn successfully.  I am by no means an expert on teaching nor teaching in an Asian culture, but the little time I have put into studying the academic environment has already changed my approach for how to better tackle my job.

4.  Pack Wisely

This step is essential and obviously unavoidable on almost any trip you will take.  Usually for smaller trips my mantra is to pack as light as possible.  When vacationing you will find yourself having to lug your bags around a lot and the less junk you have to carry the happier you and your arms will be.  This however does not necessarily apply to extended stays. I learned from my previous experience that for longer travels it is equally important to consider what you will have access to while living abroad.  For example, while living in Spain, I quickly found that it was very difficult to find good books to read in English, so this time around I am bringing a handful of books along with me .

Of course, the bulk of what you will be packing is clothes, and how many clothes to bring is a question I have asked myself again and again.  The attack I have chosen for my trip to Korea is a middle ground approach.  When I went to Spain, I erred more on the side of packing light and felt that I regretted doing this somewhat.  The reason for deciding to pack more clothes this time around is twofold.  The most obvious reason is that moving to any country with larger extremes in seasonal temperature necessitates packing more layers, but the second reason is a personal one.  I simply got bored of wearing the same 4-5 tee shirts and 2-3 dress shirts for five months straight.  You can began to feel unoriginal or never truly dressed up, and I think dress can affect your attitude.  Therefore, for my trip to Korea I am planning on bringing a much more varied set of clothing despite the cost of carrying more at the airport.  The few days of added frustration and back pain will surely be worth a year of added comfort.  Believe me, small comforts can go a very long way when living overseas.  As a note: I know you can always buy clothes wherever you are living but sometimes the sizes or styles you are accustomed to may not be available.

5. Plan Time with Family and Friends

Any extended trip across the world will usually mean some amount of isolation and unless you are fortunate enough to have family or friends overseas, you are unlikely to see many familiar faces for a while.  That is why it is so important to make time before you go to spend valuable time with your family and friends.  Plan yourself a going away party. You will not regret these moments later when you are braving it on your own.

Wrapping-Up

I have noted language preparation, studying the culture, researching how to teach in a foreign culture, packing wisely, and spending time with family and friends as steps I have personally taken to not only better prepare myself to be a more successful teacher but make the most of my stay overseas.  With any luck, these tips will help you do the same.  If anyone has advice or lessons learned from their own trip overseas, I encourage you to comment and share your knowledge with me and fellow readers.  Happy Travels!