Reasons to live abroad
Hello again from Japan,
Can you believe we are nearly in November? Where has the year gone? I've been fairly busy lately, working, socialising, and on Monday I went to Tokyo Disneyland! 10 years after visiting Disneyland in Los Angeles, I finally made it to Tokyo Disneyland, and it was a great day out. I relived my last trip by going on my two favourite rides (Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain), and did some other rides I didn't get to do last time (It's a Small World and Pooh's Honey Hunt). I also have more family coming to visit next week (my other aunty and uncle on mum's side). We won't be travelling around together as they're on a work trip, but they do have one free day, so we might go to Odaiba and maybe the Robot Restaurant. I'll definitely let you know what we decide to do!
Recently, I've been doing some thinking, and I've come to the realisation that I think everyone should try living abroad at some point in their lives. It really is an experience unlike any other, so I present to you a list of reasons why you should try living abroad, even if it scares you!
1) It gives you a chance to share your culture and your views with others. I have really enjoyed sharing the New Zealand culture and lifestyle, introducing them to new slang words (not just to Japanese people- some of my Canadian, American and British friends were mind-blown when they heard jandals and togs for the first time!), and talking a bit about our history and traditions. The idea of a summer Christmas is foreign to most people I've met here, while on the other hand, I've never had a winter Christmas! Even amongst other English-speaking expats, it's always so interesting to learn about the different parts of the world we hail from. You instantly become interesting just because your different, and people are curious to learn more.
2) You can learn a new language! Language learning is wonderful for the brain, but it's a long, ongoing process, as I've discovered. My Japanese has improved in leaps and bounds from when I first arrived, but I still have a long way to go. There are so many different ways to start learning a language, whether it be full on emersion, or a lot of self-study, and you pick up new words and phrases depending on the context and situation you're in. You will make mistakes, but it's all part of the process, and with language learning you definitely get out what you put in. If you truly make an effort to try and learn the language, you will find many more doors open for you and it can lead to new friendships too.
3) You become a whole lot more independent, and you learn to enjoy your own company. When you're on your own in a foreign country, you lose your support system that you had back home. All your family and friends are thousands of kilometres away, and everything is unfamiliar. It takes time to figure out how things work and navigate your way around, and this makes you more independent. Once I singlehandedly mastered the Tokyo train system, I felt like I could master anything! The other thing I've learned is to enjoy my own company a lot more. As I mentioned, you lose your network when you leave home and you have to start all over again. A lot of the time, you find yourself doing things on your own. Although it can sometimes feel lonely, there's something quite liberating about going to a cafe or restaurant on your own or going on day trips on your own. You make your own schedule, and you don't have to consult with anyone else on what to eat or what to do. However...
4) You also make a whole new group of friends! I've met people from all over the world-Canada, America, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and obviously Japan. The expat community is huge here, and I'm sure in other countries it's huge too. You can go to each other for advice, and we're all in the same boat, as cliche as that sounds. We're all just trying to navigate life here and enjoy it, and we all have different backgrounds and reasons for coming to Japan. The people you meet along the way really make or break your experience living abroad and I've been lucky to meet some great people so far.
5) You can travel a lot more within the country you're living abroad in, rather than having a limited time to see everything you want to see. Being able to travel around Japan and see what different regions have to offer is fantastic. A lot of people who come to Japan on holiday just don't have time to really delve in and explore more of the country. They tend to go for the bigger, more accessible cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto for convenience to international airports and the fact that there are good train services, and also it's a lot easier to navigate and do things in these cities because it's more likely people will speak and understand a bit of English. However, when you live here, you can make time to travel to the further away places and smaller cities, try new foods and see new sights.
6) It gives you a new perspective on your home country. Living in Japan, I've realised how terrible New Zealand's public transport system is. Like, it's really bad. We rely so heavily on our cars and the thought of using buses or trains sends shivers down many peoples' spines, especially in Auckland where it's unreliable and inconvenient a lot of the time. Japan's public transport is next level convenient, and it actually works how it's supposed to-absolutely mind blowing stuff. However, I've also realised New Zealanders have so much more consideration for our environment when it comes to using plastic bags, cutlery and straws, takeaway coffee cups and just reusing things in general. We are trying so much harder to reduce our impact on the environment than people here in Japan, and I think that's great. I've also realised how truly spoilt we are in New Zealand, with beautiful scenery and walking tracks never far away. I know Japan has some beautiful scenery too, but you do have to search for it, whereas in New Zealand you're surrounded by it. Even in the cities, there are hidden spots that are just stunning, and that's something I miss a lot. I've also realised that New Zealand really doesn't have a very long, rich history like Japan. It's a relatively new country, whereas Japan is not. We also don't have a distinct New Zealand culture, it's more of a mix of a lot of different cultures. It does make you question what makes New Zealand and New Zealanders unique, and I think the answer lies in our attitudes. We are probably some of the most relaxed, laid back, down-to-earth people you'll ever meet, and nothing phases us too much. We are also mostly very tolerant and accepting of others, regardless of race, gender or religion. We are also quite progressive in terms of our thinking and our political landscape. I've heard students say that Japan in run by old men, and I definitely can't say that about New Zealand! It's always interesting to hear what outsiders think of New Zealand, and what they imagine it to be like.
7) You find things you love and things you hate about the country you're living in. When you visit somewhere on holiday, you only really get a snapshot of that country. You generally only see some of the good things about the country as a whole. You don't fully understand life there, or the people at all. On the other hand, when you live abroad, you discover the little things that you either love or hate about that country, and you have to accept the things you don't like and move on, there's nothing you can really do to change it. But you can take full advantage of the things you love and enjoy them for the time you're there, however long that may be.... It opens you up to new ways of living life and seeing the world, which is awesome.
Living abroad brings with it a whole host of challenges, but also a lot of new opportunities, and it's something that really does broaden your mind and introduce you to things you've never heard of and never tried. You not only learn about a new culture, but you also learn what makes your own culture unique. It teaches you how to deal with a range of new situations that you may never have found yourself in before, and you learn to navigate around a new city and new country. I cannot recommend this experience enough, it's certainly changed my life and I've met some wonderful people along the way.
So I hope you enjoyed this wee update and I hope this has sparked an interest in travel or living abroad for anyone who might be thinking about taking the leap. The world's a big place with so much diversity, you never know who you'll meet or what you'll end up doing!
Signing off for now,
From Japan with love,
Hannah. xx
Can you believe we are nearly in November? Where has the year gone? I've been fairly busy lately, working, socialising, and on Monday I went to Tokyo Disneyland! 10 years after visiting Disneyland in Los Angeles, I finally made it to Tokyo Disneyland, and it was a great day out. I relived my last trip by going on my two favourite rides (Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain), and did some other rides I didn't get to do last time (It's a Small World and Pooh's Honey Hunt). I also have more family coming to visit next week (my other aunty and uncle on mum's side). We won't be travelling around together as they're on a work trip, but they do have one free day, so we might go to Odaiba and maybe the Robot Restaurant. I'll definitely let you know what we decide to do!
Recently, I've been doing some thinking, and I've come to the realisation that I think everyone should try living abroad at some point in their lives. It really is an experience unlike any other, so I present to you a list of reasons why you should try living abroad, even if it scares you!
1) It gives you a chance to share your culture and your views with others. I have really enjoyed sharing the New Zealand culture and lifestyle, introducing them to new slang words (not just to Japanese people- some of my Canadian, American and British friends were mind-blown when they heard jandals and togs for the first time!), and talking a bit about our history and traditions. The idea of a summer Christmas is foreign to most people I've met here, while on the other hand, I've never had a winter Christmas! Even amongst other English-speaking expats, it's always so interesting to learn about the different parts of the world we hail from. You instantly become interesting just because your different, and people are curious to learn more.
2) You can learn a new language! Language learning is wonderful for the brain, but it's a long, ongoing process, as I've discovered. My Japanese has improved in leaps and bounds from when I first arrived, but I still have a long way to go. There are so many different ways to start learning a language, whether it be full on emersion, or a lot of self-study, and you pick up new words and phrases depending on the context and situation you're in. You will make mistakes, but it's all part of the process, and with language learning you definitely get out what you put in. If you truly make an effort to try and learn the language, you will find many more doors open for you and it can lead to new friendships too.
3) You become a whole lot more independent, and you learn to enjoy your own company. When you're on your own in a foreign country, you lose your support system that you had back home. All your family and friends are thousands of kilometres away, and everything is unfamiliar. It takes time to figure out how things work and navigate your way around, and this makes you more independent. Once I singlehandedly mastered the Tokyo train system, I felt like I could master anything! The other thing I've learned is to enjoy my own company a lot more. As I mentioned, you lose your network when you leave home and you have to start all over again. A lot of the time, you find yourself doing things on your own. Although it can sometimes feel lonely, there's something quite liberating about going to a cafe or restaurant on your own or going on day trips on your own. You make your own schedule, and you don't have to consult with anyone else on what to eat or what to do. However...
4) You also make a whole new group of friends! I've met people from all over the world-Canada, America, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and obviously Japan. The expat community is huge here, and I'm sure in other countries it's huge too. You can go to each other for advice, and we're all in the same boat, as cliche as that sounds. We're all just trying to navigate life here and enjoy it, and we all have different backgrounds and reasons for coming to Japan. The people you meet along the way really make or break your experience living abroad and I've been lucky to meet some great people so far.
5) You can travel a lot more within the country you're living abroad in, rather than having a limited time to see everything you want to see. Being able to travel around Japan and see what different regions have to offer is fantastic. A lot of people who come to Japan on holiday just don't have time to really delve in and explore more of the country. They tend to go for the bigger, more accessible cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto for convenience to international airports and the fact that there are good train services, and also it's a lot easier to navigate and do things in these cities because it's more likely people will speak and understand a bit of English. However, when you live here, you can make time to travel to the further away places and smaller cities, try new foods and see new sights.
6) It gives you a new perspective on your home country. Living in Japan, I've realised how terrible New Zealand's public transport system is. Like, it's really bad. We rely so heavily on our cars and the thought of using buses or trains sends shivers down many peoples' spines, especially in Auckland where it's unreliable and inconvenient a lot of the time. Japan's public transport is next level convenient, and it actually works how it's supposed to-absolutely mind blowing stuff. However, I've also realised New Zealanders have so much more consideration for our environment when it comes to using plastic bags, cutlery and straws, takeaway coffee cups and just reusing things in general. We are trying so much harder to reduce our impact on the environment than people here in Japan, and I think that's great. I've also realised how truly spoilt we are in New Zealand, with beautiful scenery and walking tracks never far away. I know Japan has some beautiful scenery too, but you do have to search for it, whereas in New Zealand you're surrounded by it. Even in the cities, there are hidden spots that are just stunning, and that's something I miss a lot. I've also realised that New Zealand really doesn't have a very long, rich history like Japan. It's a relatively new country, whereas Japan is not. We also don't have a distinct New Zealand culture, it's more of a mix of a lot of different cultures. It does make you question what makes New Zealand and New Zealanders unique, and I think the answer lies in our attitudes. We are probably some of the most relaxed, laid back, down-to-earth people you'll ever meet, and nothing phases us too much. We are also mostly very tolerant and accepting of others, regardless of race, gender or religion. We are also quite progressive in terms of our thinking and our political landscape. I've heard students say that Japan in run by old men, and I definitely can't say that about New Zealand! It's always interesting to hear what outsiders think of New Zealand, and what they imagine it to be like.
7) You find things you love and things you hate about the country you're living in. When you visit somewhere on holiday, you only really get a snapshot of that country. You generally only see some of the good things about the country as a whole. You don't fully understand life there, or the people at all. On the other hand, when you live abroad, you discover the little things that you either love or hate about that country, and you have to accept the things you don't like and move on, there's nothing you can really do to change it. But you can take full advantage of the things you love and enjoy them for the time you're there, however long that may be.... It opens you up to new ways of living life and seeing the world, which is awesome.
Living abroad brings with it a whole host of challenges, but also a lot of new opportunities, and it's something that really does broaden your mind and introduce you to things you've never heard of and never tried. You not only learn about a new culture, but you also learn what makes your own culture unique. It teaches you how to deal with a range of new situations that you may never have found yourself in before, and you learn to navigate around a new city and new country. I cannot recommend this experience enough, it's certainly changed my life and I've met some wonderful people along the way.
So I hope you enjoyed this wee update and I hope this has sparked an interest in travel or living abroad for anyone who might be thinking about taking the leap. The world's a big place with so much diversity, you never know who you'll meet or what you'll end up doing!
Signing off for now,
From Japan with love,
Hannah. xx
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