Guest Post: A Beginner’s Guide to Living Outside the USA

Editor's Note: The following is a submission by a guest writer calling herself Caroline Secure Thoughts.  I have been contacted by people, Americans, who have an interest in moving to and living in a foreign country. Caroline submitted this article for possible consideration as a guest post.  Because of the information contained here, and the quality of her writing I have posted it.  I think it will be helpful to those considering a move from their home country to Taiwan.  Thank you, Caroline. - Chris

Living outside the USA is an exciting adventure. You will have the opportunity to explore new parts of the world, try new food, and experience a different culture. However, a big move like this does not come without its challenges. Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of living outside the USA:

Keep an Open Mind

This is a great rule to keep in mind always, but especially when deciding to live outside the USA. Wherever you live, it will definitely not be exactly like home. By going into your new living situation with an open mind, you will better able to handle culture shock and adapt to your new environment.

Some places may be harder to be open to than others. But, if you try to keep an open mind, slowly your view of the world may broaden and change. You will start to see the world from a whole new perspective.

Learn a New Language

One of the largest obstacles faced when living abroad is a different language. You might be able to get by some places with English, but it will greatly enhance your experience if you learn the local language.

However, this is of course much easier said than done. Once, you are in your new country, it is great to learn by jumping right in, and trying to speak the language as much as possible. However, this can be intimidating and overwhelming at times. Thankfully, there are many free resources that can help:

Best Free Language Learning Resources

1.       Duolingo

 A fun and easy way to learn a new language. They also have an app to help you learn on the go, and are continually expanding the languages they offer every year.

2.       BBC Languages

 This is a great resource to learn some of the basics of almost any language. Each language page also provides resources to radio and news stations in the language of your choice.

3.       Movies and TV Shows

 Watching movies or TV shows is one of the best ways to practice your abilities of understanding the spoken language without having to leave your house. Try putting subtitles on in the language you are learning so you can practice hearing and reading the language at the same time.   

Staying in Touch

  

When moving outside of the USA you may expect to face challenges like learning a language, or getting used to a new culture. However, one of the most unexpected challenges is often keeping in contact with those you left in the USA. Time changes and iffy internet connections are just some of the obstacles you may face when trying to stay in touch with family and friends.

Staying in touch with those back home requires dedication and time on your part, but, thankfully there are plenty of free resources out there to help make it little easier and without extra expense. Here are a few of my favorites:

                        3 Best Apps and Websites for Staying in Touch Abroad:

1.         Skype

This one has been around forever, but still works great.  Also, many people already have Skype set up, or are at least familiar with it. So this is a great one to use for those family members who don’t like downloading new apps. This is best used for voice calling while using Wi Fi.

2.               WhatsApp

This app is most popular for texting overseas. This is also a very famous app, so makes it easy to keep in touch with many friends and family members.

3.         Wi-Fi Finder

Depending on where you are living, finding a Wi Fi connection can be a huge problem. There is nothing worse than having a call drop on you every 10 seconds. With the Wi Fi finder you can find the closest and strongest Wi Fi connections around you. (But, if you decide to live in Taiwan, you will be extremely happy to find that they may have the best Wi Fi options in the world. Almost the entire city is a giant hotspot).

                                       

These apps will make it easier to communicate with those at home. However, what makes staying close to those at home the most challenging is that you are not sharing your everyday lives and experiences together. But, with a little creativity, you can find many alternative and unique ways to not only stay in touch, but stay close.

                        Alternative Ways to Staying Close and in Touch Abroad:

1.         Make a Blog

It is hard for friends and families to relate to the new life you are living. One of the best ways to keep your family informed of what you are doing without making a bazillion phone calls is making a blog. It will help bring friends and families a little closer to you, while saving you from repeating stories again and again.

2.         Watch the Same TV Shows Together

You may be living on other sides of the world, but you can still share some things together. Try picking a couple TV shows that you can watch together. You can easily access many TV shows on websites like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. If you are living in a country that denies access to these kinds of websites, this is not a problem. You can use a VPN to trick your computer into thinking it’s in the US.

3.         Send Care Packages

Sometimes it’s the random little things you miss, like peanut butter or your favorite shampoo brand. Have a family member or friend send you a package of some of your favorite things from home. In return, send back to them a package of things from your new home. Can be anything from a new candy you discovered, to a pretty scarf from the local market. Regardless of what you send, these little packages will help bring your family, friends and yourself closer to each other.

  

Go out of your comfort zone

Moving outside of the USA will provide many opportunities to go out of our comfort zone, but it is up to you whether you take these opportunities or not. It is in our nature to gravitate towards the familiar, whether that’s similar food or people that speak our same language. But, if you continue to stay in your comfort zone, you might miss out on a lot.

If you’re nervous about venturing away from your norm, there is no need to worry (they call it a comfort zone for a reason). Pick one or two things a day to take on. It can be anything from saying hello in a new language, or finally trying that strange looking stew. Slowly, you will go from saying hello and strange stews, to full on conversations and fried chicken feet (which is actually pretty tasty).

At times living outside the USA can be intimidating and overwhelming. But, hopefully after reading this article you feel ready to take on whatever comes your way. As long as you follow a few steps and rules, living abroad can truly be a life changing experience. So pack your things, and get ready to embrace all that your new country has to offer. 

Article Printed by Permission

Photos:  Royalty Free

The Taiwan Adventure: Now Available on Kindle

The Taiwan Adventure Blog is pleased to announce that our book, The Taiwan Adventure: An Expat's Observations of Life in Taiwan, is now available on Kindle. The book is a number of the posts from this blog updated and rewritten as an informative book for anyone considering a move to Taiwan.

There are a number of posts about traditions, history, food and even a section on living in Taiwan with disabilities.  The book is full of lots of full-color pictures depicting Taiwan and it's people, culture and natural beauty. I've been living here about four an and half years, now and have adjusted to the differences between   American Culture and Taiwanese Culture.  I would encourage you to go to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of The Taiwan Adventure: An Expat's Observations of life in Taiwan. (The title is a link to Amazon.com's Chris Banducci page)  If you're planning a move to Taiwan grab a copy of this book to give you a "heads up" about what to expect.


Look at some of the reviews the book has received:

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It's informative, funny and very easy to read.  I learned a lot about Taiwan, its complex history, customs and what it's like to be an American expat living in that country.  I loved the section about food and the author's willingness to try different kinds of foods which may not always appeal to American tastes.
Taiwanese traditions such as the selling and brewing of tea, ghost month, the lunar calendar and other traditions are explained.  There is a chapter on Disability in Taiwan which would be very helpful to anyone who wants to travel and has mobility issues.  The author needs to use a wheelchair most of the time but it has not kept him from doing a lot of sightseeing in the country.  
There are lots of tips on how to adjust to this particular culture and it seems the author and his family have done that very well.  
I hope there is a sequel to this book.  I'd be interested in how the author's teenage daughters adjusted to living in the country and how they perceive Taiwanese teen-agers. (sic)
(Taken from the Amazon.com website)

I will post some excerpts from the book over the next few weeks.

5.7 The Stink of Adventure

Stinky Tofu at arm's length, which I think is safest.

I debated what to call this article. I toyed around with the idea of calling it, Eating Around. But there was more to it than just eating in a lot of different places. It was kind of a culinary adventure, so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t really all that adventurous, well not for me anyway. I’ll try eating just about anything once, maybe twice depending on whether or not I got the full gastronomical sensation the first time. I’m not like my children who consider mushrooms on their Pizza to be the worst possible hardship. I don’t even want to think about their reaction to Anchovies.

But on to the adventure…My family left for a visit to America, I was to follow a week later. So, I was on my own. When living in the same house and sharing space with my wife, I am required to follow certain rules and

regulations, which are enforced for the good of my marriage. Aside from the

obvious marriage breakers, my wife enforces some fairly strict culinary

requirements. You may think that she’s thinking of my health, not allowing

me to eat high cholesterol or fatty foods, ensuring that I don’t become a

casualty to heart disease, cancer or diabetes. You might think that, but if you

did you would be wrong. Her concern revolves around something much more sensitive than those things, her concerns are olfactory.

Taiwanese people occasionally engage in what I like to call “Xtreme

Cooking.” This kitchen-based sport revolves around liberal uses of odoriferous

spices, herbs and other things. It may even make use of foods that in

themselves, have a high stench coefficient. These types of foods have been

included in the “illicit foods” list in our household. I have been told, on more

than one occasion, that if I come home with the scent of any of these

contraband food substances on my breath, in my skin or on my clothing that I will be sleeping folded into my desk chair, if I’m allowed into the house at all.

But for the moment, the storm troopers, er, uh…enforcement team was gone.  So I did the only thing I could do, I immediately checked the “Summary of Forbidden Foods.” What should I do first…More Garlic snake? No, that’s too mundane. Do I need to make a trip through the night market, allowing my nose to guide me to the Xtreme Cooking experts? Completely unnecessary. A friend who had heard me speak wistfully of a food, which was at the top of that list, a sensitive person, who obviously cares for the real essence of manhood, solved the dilemma with two questions. 

Two questions which speak directly to the core of mankind’s need of

adventure. Two questions which were shockingly simple. They weren’t

complex and requiring great thought. They weren’t like the question that

caused Charles Mallory, an early pioneer of Mt Everest, to hesitate and shyly answer, “Because it’s there.” No these were direct, to the point, there could only be one answer for each of these questions. The first, was a call to

adventure, it was framed, on the idea that the time was now…that opportunity may knock only once and then drift off to find someone who would answer more promptly. In other words there was an urgency to this question that could not be denied, “Did your wife leave for America, today.” I was tingling with expectation. The question that followed was so obvious that I was embarrassed not to have thought of it myself, “Do you want to try Stinky Tofu.” It was brilliant, I almost wept at the elegance of the idea.

Chris Banducci, and his copy of The Taiwan Adventure

Of course, I wanted to try it. Every time, my wife smelled it and wrinkled her nose and complained that the odor was the worst thing she had ever smelled, I had to wonder how something like that would taste. The smell was like a siren call to me. It tantalized, no less than the mermaids of old tantalized the men of the sea. Although, I will admit that as food it is entirely appropriate in its name. But perhaps, to an adventurer that was the allure. 

After all, what caused men to climb the highest peaks in the world? No one, who has ever climbed a mountain, has ever been heard to exclaim, “I want to do it because it will be easy and I just love a nice, cozy tent.” No! The cold, the danger, the difficulty, those were the things that drew men to death zone of Everest. The danger and the discomfort were the draw. This is what makes an adventure, an adventure.

I was ready to throw aside the comfort foods, I cared not for the

delicately flavored tasty combinations; I had a hunger for adventure. There are two ways to prepare Stinky Tofu, I had only to choose one, and my friend like a trusty Sherpa guide, would get me there. What is Stinky Tofu? It’s Tofu with a twist. They take the soy bean curd, (that’s what Tofu is) and they ferment it.  People in Asia do this with a number of foods. Kimchi is fermented cabbage. Thousand-year-old eggs are fermented eggs. Stinky Tofu is fermented soy bean curd. 

They prepare it in two ways; they either steam it or deep-fry it. I have

heard, from more than one source, some of them were even Taiwanese, that,

steamed Stinky Tofu, tastes exactly like it smells. I’ve seen it, and it looks like it smells, as well. Hey, in food, even for me, presentation is important. So I opted for the deep fried type. The lust for adventure runs deep in my

family…but not that deep. 

I found it to be surprisingly tasty. It was covered with a garlic sauce and topped with cabbage. I have spoken to a number of Taiwanese people about food. In fact, I talk to everyone about food. Most of the Taiwanese people I speak to name Stinky Tofu among their favorite foods. I met a bunch of seventh graders who claimed they liked Stinky Tofu better than ice cream.

This adventure didn’t end with just Stinky Tofu. It was an adventure of

monumental scope. We traveled throughout Taoyuan City stopping at a

number of food carts. These are little carts where people prepare food, right on the side of the road. These are the places where you can really get the taste of Taiwan.

I enjoyed Stinky Tofu, the forbidden fruit of Taiwan; well, forbidden in my house, anyway, but I think it’ll be a while before I eat it again. My wife isn’t planning on traveling again anytime soon.