My Mind-boggling process of moving abroad

 I am pretty sure you’ve been to the airport at least once this year to say goodbye to a friend who’s moving to a foreign country, if not that your feed is probably getting spammed with pictures of people at the airport moving to places all over the world! (Yeah, I know everyone’s leaving) 

The day I uploaded a picture about moving to the UK, I remember my phone blowing up with messages about how I am living my best life. While that’s not entirely wrong, moving to another country can be daunting at times. Life on social media can seem to be happening, and that's only because we always choose to show our happy side to people out there. It’s unlikely that people will talk about their struggles with feeling homesick or something as mundane as “How the hell does this heater work?”  Yes, that did happen to me. 

I remember the day I landed in London, I had no idea about how the transport worked, for all I knew I could have sat on a train thinking I was going to Cornwall but was actually on a train to Edinburgh; that’s how clueless I was. 

But, as you spend more time there you start getting acclimated to how things function.  

One interesting thing about moving is the fact that each day is different, you might end up feeling like you never want to go back or you might end up saying, “Book a ticket right now, I miss my jet spray!” If I had a penny every time I thought, “Why the hell can’t such an advanced country include jet spray in their washrooms! UGH!” 

The whole process can take months and can be divided into the 

• Pre-departure phase 

• The Visa Phase 

• The phase that begins when you land here. 

Wow, I just made it sound like a cell cycle, it's ironic because the process might leave you with just two functioning brain cells. ( I am kidding; Ummm, no, not really ) 

After you’ve sacrificed your blood, sweat, tears, and sanity to every possible administrative officer, you might get lucky to fly to the place of your dreams and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t worth it. It is! 

Thus, being a psychopath has its benefits at times ( this is exactly why people don’t come to me for advice )    

The important thing you need to remember is that you’ll have to trust the process and take chances, you will have to go the extra mile to make friends and get your work done. Initially, you might face problems with most minuscule things and that's completely okay. I remember I didn’t know how to do some things that a three-year-old could wing in a heartbeat. Be shameless and ask for help, the embarrassment is only in your head, it is okay to not know things and ask for assistance when you need it. 

Make sure that you invest in suitable accommodation and carry stuff that you would immediately need while settling in, like light bedding, ready-to-eat food packets, tea, towels, etc. ( will talk more about this in another blog ) 

You are bound to feel homesick so engage in as many university activities as you can. While living on your terms can feel like bliss it also has its challenges           

Don’t want you moving, thinking you’ll get to be a lead actor in a Karan Johar movie. You will be responsible for how much you spend, what you eat, and completing your work on time. The positive thing about all this is that you get to experience life differently, something you won’t be able to do sitting in the comfort of your house. You might learn new things about yourself, grow as a person, and, most importantly, make friends and meet people from different parts of the world. 

All I want to say is different people might have different experiences about the same, you need to weigh the pros and cons in retrospect of what you’re trying to achieve out of the experience. Ask yourself questions, are you moving for personal growth? Job opportunities? Or simply because you felt like it. There are no right or wrong answers. However, at the end of the day, it's a change and you might take time to get used to it and that’s completely okay. PS: it is okay to cry, I did on some days when it got really overwhelming, I say this because it is the stuff that people won’t usually post or tell you, but just know that it's okay and very normal.

Give it your best shot, it gets better and you will eventually get into a schedule and have a lot to look forward to! 

I am gonna talk more about the process of applying, the dos and don’ts soon, in another blog

( as soon as I am done with my dishes and assignments ) so that it helps people who are in the process of applying and moving.                   

In the end, all I want to say is that you’ve got this! 

All the best. <3