Rafael dos Santos - Moving Abroad: One Step at a Time

Moving Abroad - One Step at a Time

First published in 2013 by

Panoma Press

48 St Vincent Drive, St Albans, Herts, AL1 5SJ, UK

www.panomapress.com

Book layout by Neil Coe

Printed on acid-free paper from managed forests. This book is printed on demand to fulfill orders, so no copies will be remaindered or pulped.

ISBN 978-1-908746-97-9

The right of Rafael dos Santos to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. Applications for the Copyright holders written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publishers.

This book is available online and in all good bookstores.

Copyright 2013 Rafael dos Santos

I want to dedicate this book to my sister Andiara who shared her thoughts before returning to Brazil and during her reverse culture shock process.

To my partner William who was always there, with a cup of tea, during the late nights while I was writing.

And my parents for having done whatever they could to provide me with the tools to develop my career and my life. I love you both.

I wish to thank all my friends who have shared their stories and experiences with me and have dedicated their precious time in many different ways to help me to finalise this book.

A big thank you to Carrie Lau, Paul Barnes, Carlos Kytka, Sileide Santos, Alina Zegheru, Iain Speirs, Tiina Vlio, Richard Williams, Abilio Esteves, Bruno Lincoln, Nisha Rubabha, Chris Orlikowski, Lisa Pattenden, Fredrik Bjarnason, Stefan Arestis, Chris Redhead, Leonardo Medeiros, Katia Barria, Monika Lazlo and Lui Savi.

Very special thanks to Vagner Araujo and Doreen Werner.

Welcome abroad!

The journey of going abroad can be a challenge.

If you are reading this book, you probably have been thinking for a long time about going to another country or you plan to go soon.

Once you have made the decision, I can help to make your journey easier and much more fun!

What I have done is break down this journey into 5 stages, each stage having its own challenges, concerns, achievements and emotions.

You do not have to worry about which stage you are going through. It will be a natural transition from one to another. You cannot go from !

From the moment you decide to go away to the moment you return home, the process is the same. From Vietnam to Brazil or the USA to India, you will go through an amazing journey where you will meet great people, eat delicious diverse foods, discover fantastic places and make friends for a lifetime!

What stops you from going on this journey is yourself!

So, if you have any doubts about your trip, be prepared to start your journey right now, from the moment you start reading .

This book will not help you to decide where to go. It is not a guidebook. It does not give tips on countries or destinations.

This book helps you to get through the journey (both physical and emotional) when you have already chosen to go abroad.

You will be reading several true stories about the experiences my friends and I went through and decided to share with the world, including YOU!

Deciding to travel abroad is the first stage, in which youll be wondering how things are going to be in another country, what your life is going to be like. This stage is full of the fear and excitement of the unknown and all the other feelings related to going to an adventure.

There are 3 main points in the Decision stage:

1 - Where you are going? - Place

2 - When you are going? - Date and time

3 - Why you are going? - Reason or goal for the trip

In many cases, I believe that where and why are linked. If you want to learn English, for example, you travel to English speaking countries like the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, etc.

So, you can connect the why you are going with the where you are going. Once you make this connection, you just need to decide when.

Sometimes when is decided by how much. If you are going to a country where the currency is twice or three times the currency of your country, you will need more time to save money.

When you decide to move away - whatever length of time - you should have a goal. It will help you to keep sane and ensure you make the best of your time abroad.

During several hundreds of hours of conversation with people from different countries, I have learnt that every single story has a meaning. Everyone will have a different reason why they have made the decision to leave everything behind and try the unknown.

Some answers I hear most are:

This is a very common response. It really depends on the age (average age: 30s). They need to think about their lives, they need to move on, meet new people and learn something new to be able to progress in their lives. Normally, they already have a stable career but need a new challenge. People who need a change of air are usually bored with their lives (at least the people that I spoke to).

Some people want to learn a new language for personal or professional reasons. This also involves obtaining a degree, whether as an undergraduate or graduate student or any other type of higher education, which will lead to a better position in their own country. If the right opportunity comes along, they can stay where they are or even move to wherever the job will take them.

Some people go abroad to work (or even volunteer) in their field so they can gain international experience.

There are also those people who decide that they actually do not like their current job and turn their lives upside down with a new job or even a new business idea. They see other businesses, talk to people who love their careers and their passion make them realise there is more to life than money.

I cant tell you how many broken hearts Ive met along the way. People in long-term relationships frequently need to detach themselves completely from the place and people so they are able to move on. They need a break from their world so they throw themselves into a completely new journey so they can find themselves free again. This is where the saying goes out of sight, out of heart.

Many of those who are excited about geography or history decide they need to see the world with their own eyes - all the battles and wars that occurred in those magnificent places. I felt quite emotional the first time I went to Berlin and saw pieces of the wall that had divided the city. Although it was not part of my own history, I mourned for those who lived during that time and had to suffer as they did.