Cynthia Caughey - The Expatriates Roadmap to Successfully Moving Overseas

The Expatriates Roadmap to Successfully Moving Overseas

All You Need to Know About Living Abroad

By Cynthia Caughey

Copyright 2016 Cynthia Caughey

All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

When I met Cynthia I was living in my hometown of New York City. And although I did not realize it then, I was fortunate to have crossed her path. The little seeds that would eventually lead me to live as an American expat in Europe were beginning to be planted.

A few years later, my European husband and I packed it up and moved to Spain. I had no idea what I was getting into, but Cynthia was there. My motto became: if Cynthia could do it, I could do it.

There are few people who are as intrepid as Cynthia. What I have learned is that what Cynthia has done twice is exceedingly difficult. It takes a spine of titanium. It takes a reserve of ingenuity, commitment and resilience that is deep. Moving overseas teaches you so much about other cultures, but it also brings you lessons about your own.

These are all things that Cynthia has helped me understand - especially in those early days. If youre thinking about moving overseas, or even if youre an expat, read this book cover to cover. Cynthia shares her thoughts in an approachable way. Theres always something to learn. Better still, once youve read the book, hire her to be your expat coach. I cant tell you how important it is to have someone be your coach, mentor or cheerleader, especially in the beginning.

Linda N. Spencer

American Expat

Hello, Im Cynthia and Ive been an expat for nine years in two European countries, France and Italy. I became an expat for two different reasons - one I needed a break from my life and career and yearned for an adventure; and the second time because I fell in love and married a French citizen.

Having lived in two countries thus far, I can assure you that exotic and adventurous dont remain an asset for long, especially when youre trying to figure out how to use that weird oven or where to buy peanut butter or canned pumpkin for that pumpkin pie (Ill let you in on a secret - you cant buy canned pumpkin in most of Europe - youll have to find an importer to get it).

Ask yourself a few questions to determine your tolerance level for the expatriate life. Are you used to seeing your friends and family several times a month? Is it easy for you to find new friends and are you at ease with having lots of new people in your life? Do you have an aptitude for languages? Remember, the further you venture, the harder and more costly it will be to return to your home country or to go back and forth to visit family and friends, or for them to visit you.

Are you one of those travelers that get easily upset when they dont do things the way we do in our country? Do some things really aggravate you like when the waiter takes too long to take your order, or they give you terrible customer service at the local store, or people push in front of you in line? Do you get frustrated with people because no one speaks English, or you cant read the menu? How about if cant find your favorite snack or convenience foods at the grocery store? Are you ready to learn the new driving laws of your adopted country? Are you prepared to have the patience of a saint during the ordeal of dealing with bureaucracies? What if youve never traveled much and found it frustrating when you did? Do you have overly romantic, unrealistic views of the new country and its culture? You are an American football or baseball fanatic (guess what, those for the most part, dont exist in most other countries). I could go on and on. If just hearing this list raises anxiety for you, you may want to rethink your desire to live outside of your native country.

Living abroad also means that a different language will be the norm and youll have to change your social and cultural rules and assumptions about correct behavior.

Local holidays will be different - forget the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, Presidents Day and probably Halloween too (its just not a big holiday overseas). Even Christmases and Easters will be celebrated differently.

Are you a devoutly religious person? Are religion and a religious community important to you? You can find a lot of Catholics and Catholic Churches in Europe and Central and South America, but not a lot of Protestants. Protestant churches are harder to find in most parts of the world. Countries such as France, Germany and Scandinavia are pretty much atheist now. If you are a conservative evangelical Christian you will find most countries outside of America lonely because this brand of Christianity does not exist much outside of the US for the most part. This type of Christianity is not accepted well either in many parts of the world.

You will also find the politics of Europe and many other countries liberal or progressive compared to American politics. Additionally, you may occasionally run into hostility from the citizens of other countries toward U.S. politics and foreign policies. You may also find anger at some American corporations who run mom and pop businesses out of town in some countries.

So you ask, if its so hard, why do it? Because some of the things you find difficult will be some of the things that expand your horizons and force you to rethink what you believe, your values, and assumptions of life and the world. These experiences will stretch and challenge you, bring out your resiliency and creativity, open new ways to make a living, and new priorities for your life. It may slow you down and cause you to appreciate the new friends you make because they will become a life line for you. You will feel new things, savor small moments you might have missed in your old life, and open yourself up to things you would never have tried before. Youll see things in a completely different way, and your life priorities may change.

The experiences you will have will be the other reason to live as an Expatriate (Expat). Listen to exotic birds in Costa Rica sing their morning songs; watch the sunset on the Costa del Sole in Spain every evening with a glass of Spanish wine; hike in green rolling pastures listening to the cow bells in the French Alps every weekend; lie in a hammock under the Amazon forest canopy listening to the howler monkeys in Ecuador every evening; visit a new museum or ancient ruin every month in Rome; attend a weekly lecture by a famous author in London; buy your produce and fresh cheese at the open air market every Saturday in France; or stroll with the Italians on their evening passeggiata while eating gelato in an Italian village. I could go on and on.

When becoming a global citizen you have to let go of the thought that there is only one way to do or experience life. If youre open, put aside your nationalism and ask yourself if other countries do some things better than your home country? Challenge yourself - then write about it. Take photos and videos and share them with the world. Build a community of internationals and learn from them. Share what you learn. Make mistakes. Dont just think outside the box - rebuild the box. Listen. Get lost and wander. Open all of your senses. Ask. Challenge yourself. Daydream. Create. Innovate. Laugh. Feel the wonder. This is what the expat life is.

As we move on to the Introduction and other chapters, I hope you will find each chapter informative and that by the time you finish the book, you will have a good understanding of what moving overseas and living as an expat is all about. Since Im American and I moved only to Europe, I will be writing from these perspectives, however, the general principles and advice in this book will be applicable to anyone from any country moving overseas.