Draven Jackson
Blogger | Teacher
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Living abroad is an amazing experience filled with so many wonderful moments and opportunities, but it is also incredibly difficult at times. Some of the struggles you will experience are expected – language barriers and culture shock are huge hurdles you have to get past no matter where you go. But there are also a lot of things you might not consider when you’re weighing the pros and cons of moving to another country.

Having spent the last two years living in Japan, there is a lot I’ve learned about living abroad that I wish I had known about or considered before I moved. I have appreciated this journey in so many ways and would be happy to write another article just about the wonderful experiences I’ve had and the things I’ve learned while living in another country. However, I also think it’s important to be honest about the not-so-Instagram-worthy moments so that other people who might be considering moving abroad have a better idea of what struggles they should prepare themselves for.

The Language Barrier

Let’s start with the most expected struggle of living abroad: the language barrier. For English speakers who move abroad to another English-speaking country, like the UK or Australia, this may not be as big of a problem. While the slang and dialect may be different, overall it’s still pretty easy to be understood.

However, this is not the case for countries where English is not the primary language. While many countries require basic English classes in their education programs, often you will still struggle to find people who are confident enough in their English skills to be willing to talk to you in English.

This means that many conversations – including important ones about insurance, health, or finances – will be a confusing mix of English and the native language of the country you are in. In these cases, Google Translate will become your best friend (but also your worst enemy since many of the translations don’t make any sense), and I highly recommend that if you are considering moving to a foreign country, try to learn as much of the country’s native language as you can.

Isolation

One of the biggest struggles for most foreigners living abroad is feeling isolated. Not only have you left your life, friends, and family back in your home country, but you’ve also moved to a place where you are different from everyone else. It’s difficult to find a place for yourself in a society that wasn’t made for you, and often the language barrier can make it hard to meet people. If you aren’t able to communicate with anyone, then how do you make new friends?

In your home country, the solutions to these problems are easy: join a local group and do activities with them, find a hobby that you can share with others, or go to a class in your city where you can learn and meet other students. But living abroad, it’s not always that easy, and more often than not those feelings of not having the kind of support system you did back home can be hard for your mental health.

On the other hand, trying to avoid those feelings of isolation can actually encourage you to leave your home and meet people. Whether it’s other foreigners you’ve talked to online or a friend of a friend who wants to go to the same museum exhibit you do, as long as you keep trying to put yourself out there, you will eventually find your people.

Missing Out

A difficulty I never really considered when I decided to start living abroad was the amount of life I would miss out on. When you live in another country hundreds or thousands of miles away, you obviously won’t be able to be at every important event back home. You’ll miss birthdays and weddings and concerts you and your best friends promised to go to together. You won’t be there for proposals or promotions, and you’ll find out about these important life events through biweekly Zoom calls or messages on social media.

But it’s the day-to-day stuff that starts to add up. It’s the breakups and first dates and new jobs that your friends just started. It might even just be the “I’ve had a bad day and I want to grab a drink and chat, are you available?” moments. You never recognize how important these little things are until they become play-by-plays during catch-up conversations, and one day you realize that this is time you’ll never get back. However, it’s important to recognize that you are also experiencing big and small moments yourself – just in a new place and with new friends – and the people who love you are always going to be excited to hear about your journey when you’re finally able to meet up again.

Loss of Favorite Foods

Here’s the thing about living abroad: you never know until you move what kinds of things you’re going to miss. And while moving to another country should be an opportunity to learn about and appreciate that country’s culture and food, it doesn’t mean you won’t still miss the little things you loved back home.

Sometimes, it’s not even the big favorites you miss – I love Milky Ways and BBQ chips, but the last few times people visited me from America and asked what I wanted, I requested Cheez-Its and Hot Cheetos. I also craved pickles a few months ago – nothing special, but since it’s almost impossible to find pickles in a Japanese supermarket, I realized how much I missed them. It may seem silly to think that a few grocery store items would cause such distress, but it really can feel incredibly frustrating sometimes.

Things Aren’t Designed for You

As a foreigner living abroad, it’s important to recognize that things just aren’t designed for you. This may seem obvious, but it goes farther than you might consider or realize. For example, when you’re shopping, the clothes you want to buy usually aren’t made with your body shape or preferences in mind. So if you’re like me (a plus-sized woman) and live in a country where clothes tend to run on the smaller side and aren’t designed for round hips, then it’s harder to find necessities like pants or tights.

But it goes beyond that. With the language being different, things like going to the movies or visiting a doctor’s office weren’t designed with you in mind. Often, the movies will be in the native language and there won’t be any English subtitles, and you’ll have to find specialized doctors who speak English (or you’ll need to use a third-party translation service). The makeup options won’t be in your skin tone, the websites will all be impossible to read, and no one will sit you down and explain these things to you because most people don’t think about them being difficult.

And while all of these things are going to stack up and feel overwhelming, they will also become easier. The longer you live in one place, the more you learn how to maneuver around it. And if there’s not already a place for you there, you have the opportunity to carve out the path for yourself.

People Leave

Something I never considered when I decided to begin my journey living abroad was the sheer amount of people I would meet and grow to love. While I still struggle with feelings of isolation and loneliness sometimes, I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people who have changed my life, many of whom I would never have met if I hadn’t decided to move to another country. I’m very lucky to have so many people all over the world who love and care about me.

But in its own way, this is also a big struggle. For most foreigners living abroad, this is only a small part of their journey. Their time in this new home is temporary, and eventually, many of them move back to their own countries. And if you’re like me and have decided to extend your stay past the standard 1-2 years, you’ll have to say goodbye to more people than you ever wanted to.

Despite knowing this, however, and realizing that I may not see these wonderful friends again for a very long time, I still wouldn’t change anything about this experience. It has made me who I am and the people I’ve met will forever be a part of my journey, even if theirs takes them somewhere else across the world.

Do you know of more difficulties of living abroad? Tell us in the comments!

About Draven Jackson

Draven is an avid writer and reader who enjoys sharing her opinions on movies, books, and music with the rest of the world. She will soon be working as a teacher in Japan and hopes to use her experience to connect with other teachers and students around the globe. Draven spends most of her time at home with her family, her dogs, and her ferret.

To see more, view all posts by Draven Jackson here.

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