Not too many people get the opportunity to live in a different country, and some people don't get the opportunity to travel within their home country; but, if you do have the chance to live outside of your home country, seize it and make the most of it. Living abroad can be difficult mostly because you have to leave your family and best friends behind, and if you're not a seasoned mover, then it can be quite intimidating going somewhere not knowing anyone.
If you aren't familiar, I was pretty young when I had the chance to move to France with my family due to Dad getting a job transfer. I was 5 or 6 at the time when we discovered we were moving over, and at that age, I didn't know how this would change my life. I was just finishing the first half of my 1st-grade year when my parents pulled me out of class and we started going to classes to learn about the French culture and how to speak basic French. Not much later, Christmas came around, and my sister and I were given an early Christmas gift, going on a cruise! We would be spending the week of Christmas on the cruise, and not even a week after getting back we would be departing to France, New Year's morning.
Getting off the plane, from what I could remember, was an eye-opening experience itself! Never in my life have I seen so many different people and hearing so many different languages being spoken. This is where the culture shock began. Experiencing culture shock from visiting a different country is one thing, but going to a different country at such a young age with the mindset that you could be spending the rest of your life there is that much more difficult.
Arriving at our apartment was also a bit different. The washer and dryer were in the kitchen, there was no furniture yet (it had to be shipped over from the United States), and there was a bidet in every bathroom.
School was starting soon, and what made it more frightening was the fact that I would be coming in halfway through the school year. It became one of those "one step forward, two steps backward" deals. It took me a while to catch up to where they were, because of the different school systems. Eventually, though, the end of the school year came and I made a lot of friends throughout the whole process. I found a Cub Scout group to join where four or five boys from my class were involved. We would have weekly meetings, and I even had the opportunity to meet an Ambassador to France (pictured below).
Some other special events happened while living abroad, such as my First Communion:
Or just taking the day to explore and stop for some coffee or hot chocolate on the Champs-Elysees with the family!
I won't sugar coat it, I was super lucky to have this opportunity, and I advise everyone who reads this: travel abroad for the experience. And, if someday you get a promotion that requires you to move abroad, take a lot of time to think about all of the advantages that could come from it. If I could do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat and do nothing different. I learned quite a bit from this amazing experience, but I think the most important thing to note from it was how to adapt to a new culture. It's not easy getting up and leaving the things and people you love behind, and the culture you are used to, but it's one hell of an experience!
