By Eric Kwong
You got on a boat, with a tiny bag that fit your precious belongings, and off to a different country you went. After a couple months on the sea, your ship finally made it to port, and you realized that everyone spoke a different language from you. They all looked different from you. You wondered how you would survive.
Well, that might have been the case 100 years ago. Today, with the help of technology, you can do much more planning before you travel to a different country. Today, we want to provide some tips on how to make the transition process easier for you!
Research:
Find out as much as you can before you travel to a new city. Unless you are are visiting the jungles of the Amazon or the extreme environment in the arctic circle, you should be able to find out about the city from the internet. Below are just some of the things that you should look into before you travel.
- Weather: Knowing the weather will allow you to pack accordingly.
- Housing: Will housing be provided by the institution? Or do you need to look for housing on your own?
- Transportation: Does the city offer convenient public transportation? Will biking be an option?
- Food and shopping: What kind of restaurants and groceries are available in the area? Are there supermarkets for your specific culture?
- Religious services: Do you practice a specific religion? Do you need to attend religious meetings as part of your faith?
Ask:
In this age of internet and social media, it should not be a problem to find Facebook groups or online message boards to ask questions about your destination. Who knows, you might even find a friend there.
Connect:
Ever since the invention of ships and airplanes, global migration has become rather easy. Reach out to your family members and friends to see if they know someone in the area where you will be traveling. Maybe it is a second uncle, or a childhood friend’s parent’s friends; regardless who they might be, it will be nice to find family and friends around.
Explore:
Each city has unique things that are worth seeing and visiting. Before you head out to your new destination, it will be worth your time to look for fun things to do in the city. For example, museums, parks and national monument are all worth seeing.
(In case you have not noticed, the first letter of each point spells RACE.)
In closing, it is definitely worth the time to do your “homework” before you move to a new location. In this modern day and age, it should not a problem to find useful information.
