Film reviewer Owun Birkett decided to take a year out abroad and went to live and work in Canada - he shares with us the ups and downs of living abroad. Have you done this? Tell us your story!
Living abroad may seem like an exciting
idea; you get to travel and really have the experience of the culture and
lifestyle. On the other hand, it is quite a daunting one. Travelling thousands
of miles away from home and having to start a new life (even temporarily) takes
a lot of courage to even walk through the security gate at the airport.
Counting down the clock till you have to wake up at silly o'clock in the
morning, making your way to the airport and then your emotions hit a brick
wall. You're slowly realising you're leaving your family and friends who you've
known nearly the whole of your life behind! These emotions and thoughts came
crashing down when I arrived in Vancouver, Canada on 13th May, 2011 (Friday the
13th, I may add!).
It came as a bit of a shock when I was
sleeping the first night at a hostel in Downtown Vancouver. It wasn't like
going off to university halls and living away from home that only takes a
couple hours by car/train. I travelled to an entirely different country and
only way to travel is by plane (9-10 hour flight). I don't necessarily want to
be a joy kill but living abroad isn't easy as it sounds! You have to save up
funds for starters because you will want to explore your surrounding area
before settling down on finding a job and place to stay. That's the other
problem; finding a job and house and how long will that take? If you put your
heart and soul into it, then you'll find something quicker than you think! Though
you have to be prepared for the worst and be able to act on your toes. My
advice is go for anything you can get, so at least you're bringing some income
in and you can find something better and more suitable in the meantime. Even if
you hate the job you're working for, grit your teeth and get on with it.
I may make it out it's no fun and games
but once you get the hang of it, it comes very natural! You start to make new
friends, take up new activities that weren't available or weren't aware.
Vancouver had a fantastic lifestyle, there was a abundance of activities to
choose from; swimming, cycling, roller-blading, hiking, snowboarding/skiing,
sailing and the list goes on! Even check out various Top lists of places to go
to in your area, venture out to the unknown!
The biggest thing about living abroad is
being able to live independently! Being able to sort out your own problems, how
to react to something when things go downhill. One example; I got mugged during
my second visit in Seattle, WA. I told the thief to just take my backpack and
leave! Luckily I was still carrying my phone, wallet and digital camera. My
iPad, iPod and various other items were amongst the things that were in the
backpack but that didn't bother me at all! Though what did bother me is I
eventually realised the one thing that is most important; my passport. Your
passport is your holy bible, your prized possession. I felt sick to my stomach
when the realisation hit me; I'm a British citizen with a Canadian working
holiday visa and visiting USA. My question was; how the hell do I get back?! So
my friend (whom I haven't seen for 10 years) just so happen to be around. I
remembered I kept a receipt of the visa waiver I had to pay to cross the
border. ALWAYS keep receipts, you never know if it will be useful! So I called
up the Peace Arch border, told me to go to the nearest Consulate. Though it was
closed (being the weekend), so they advised me to come to the border and
explain the situation). So my friend was more than happy to drive me there. We
finally arrived and my heart is beating like crazy. I told them exactly what
happened, showed them the receipt and other pieces of ID. After doing some
quick checks, they allowed me through! The border officer advised me to contact
the consulate first thing on Monday. In the end, I did eventually receive my
new passport before I had to fly back home. Traveller's insurance is also VERY
important! If I didn't have traveller's insurance, it would've cost me $200 for
passport replacement plus $40 for a courier fee.
If there's one thing I say to you if
you're considering on living abroad on a temporary basis; DO IT!!! I cannot
stress enough that even though you'll eventually be counting down the hours,
days, months you'll have to leave; it's the experience that counts! I have had
plenty of comments from friends and even family members how much they envied me
and wanted to do the same thing. You only live once, why not make the most of
it?
So what do you think? Is this something you would contemplate as the next step for quitting the 9 to 5?
Love Nova and Owun xxx
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