Guest C00l K1d Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Not that it's definitely going to happen for me anyway, but since there's a few folk on here who live abroad (sure there's a few who are out in asia too) maybe they could give me some pointers even if it was for the future. There has been a few job posts that i've applied for out in China, Macau specifically and it's got me thinking about how I would adapt to living somewhere that's massively culturally different. How easy is it to get by in the beginning with no grasp of the language at all? I'm sure I would end up picking up the basics, but in my situation if it was to ever happen, Cantonese/Mandarin is so complex i'm not sure it'd be that easy And how difficult is it to adapt in day to day life? Even in terms of the difference in food etc is it difficult to settle in? Would be good to know from folk who've moved abroad anywhere, not specifically out to Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bolton Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 It depends where you are. I moved to Poland in 2007 with no clue at all about the language. Fortunately, my work allows you to easily build a social group of English speakers. If that's the case in your job then that should see you through the transitional phase. You quickly pick up the language you need. How much, can I have, where is the etc. After that, it's up to you. If you want to learn a language then the easiest time to do it is while living in a country where that language is spoken. Over time my Polish became ok and that definitely made life easier. Day to day situations are much more comfortable when you've got the language to explain yourself or ask questions. I'd say if you're going to live in Europe, that's quite important. As I said though, if your work naturally allows you to build a social circle, then that'll see you through to begin with. I now live in Sri Lanka. It's different. Language isn't a problem, English is one of the official languages here. However, it's obviously very different. There are good things about living here and bad things. Depends on your taste. In general, you need to accept that wee shots of homesickness will happen from time to time. Much less as time moves on, but it'll happen. The day to day stuff depends on you. If you want to give the food a try, or get involved in local life, then you'll do it. Some people don't. It depends on what kind of attitude you approach it with and what you want out of it. I know some people here who have no interest in seeing any of Sri Lanka. They're here for a wage. I've got no problem with that. They know what they're doing. Really depends on you. Moving abroad isn't as difficult as some people make out though. Age and family circumstances could come into it, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.J Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 It's been pretty tough in the New England area, likes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Plissken Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Go for it. I didn't know any Korean and had never even seen the food before I went but I picked up enough and quickly learned to love kimchi. I got to see a lot of the world and save a lot of money, it was a great experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgiewave Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 To me, the most difficult thing was not knowing anybody. I had been studying Spanish for six months before I came and went to a school for six weeks to learn it when I arrived. Since then it's never been a major problem. I'd learn some of the language before you go, to make everyday life easier and give you the chance to meet people once there. Spain is different to Scotland but there's not much in everyday habits, standard of living, technology, attitudes, etc., that make it a shock. I can only imagine that East Asia would be much more different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tian447 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 It depends where you are. I moved to Poland in 2007 with no clue at all about the language. Fortunately, my work allows you to easily build a social group of English speakers. If that's the case in your job then that should see you through the transitional phase. You quickly pick up the language you need. How much, can I have, where is the etc. After that, it's up to you. If you want to learn a language then the easiest time to do it is while living in a country where that language is spoken. Over time my Polish became ok and that definitely made life easier. Day to day situations are much more comfortable when you've got the language to explain yourself or ask questions. I'd say if you're going to live in Europe, that's quite important. As I said though, if your work naturally allows you to build a social circle, then that'll see you through to begin with. Did you ever actually manage to ever pronounce things properly though? Polish is just ridiculously complex and must be one of the hardest languages in the world to learn as a foreign language. I have been trying to learn it for about 4 months, and have a basic grasp of what things are in Polish (objects, days, numbers, colours etc.) but I still can't actually have a conversation with anyone. I've been told that it's unlikely that the average non-native Polish speaker will be able to get a decent grasp of things, but will never be able to speak it properly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bolton Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I've been told that it's unlikely that the average non-native Polish speaker will be able to get a decent grasp of things, but will never be able to speak it properly... People said things like that to me when I first arrived, but it's not true. Conjugating the verbs properly is a struggle and most foreigners will make errors with that. However, I managed fine to get to the level where I could function day to day and go on nights out/to the football socially etc with non-English speakers. Occasionally mates of mates wouldn't notice I wasn't Polish. All depends on what the conversation is about etc. I'd be out my depth in a complex debate about politics, for example. I know quite a few people who learned to speak it quite well. Pronunciation becomes easy when you're surrounded by the language every day. There were plenty of foreigners I knew who barely ever managed a word of Polish. Some of them were just lazy. However, most of them were intimidated by the strangeness of the language. Once you scratch the surface with Polish - and you're surrounded by it - it's not actually that bad. If you really want to learn Polish then the best way is to go to Poland. It's that simple. It's a language so foreign to ours in so many ways that learning it out of country is always going to be a struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest C00l K1d Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Thanks for the replies. For me the biggest worry is that i would struggle with the language (even through a school) and feel completely isolated. By the sounds of it they're hiring folk from here so it might not be that bad, but they could end up being twats If an oppurtunity like this arose i would most likely jump at it, you can always come home i suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bolton Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 you can always come home i suppose. Very true. If it's something you fancy, then you might as well give it a bash. Even if it's rubbish, it won't be the end of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamboy81 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I'm learning Spanish at the moment but learning an asian lanuguage would absolutely terrify me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronJambo Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Go for it. I didn't know any Korean and had never even seen the food before I went but I picked up enough and quickly learned to love kimchi. I got to see a lot of the world and save a lot of money, it was a great experience. What he says. Don't worry about the complexity of a language either. My wife went to Japan without Japanese and came home speaking it fluently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tian447 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 People said things like that to me when I first arrived, but it's not true. Conjugating the verbs properly is a struggle and most foreigners will make errors with that. However, I managed fine to get to the level where I could function day to day and go on nights out/to the football socially etc with non-English speakers. Occasionally mates of mates wouldn't notice I wasn't Polish. All depends on what the conversation is about etc. I'd be out my depth in a complex debate about politics, for example. I know quite a few people who learned to speak it quite well. Pronunciation becomes easy when you're surrounded by the language every day. There were plenty of foreigners I knew who barely ever managed a word of Polish. Some of them were just lazy. However, most of them were intimidated by the strangeness of the language. Once you scratch the surface with Polish - and you're surrounded by it - it's not actually that bad. If you really want to learn Polish then the best way is to go to Poland. It's that simple. It's a language so foreign to ours in so many ways that learning it out of country is always going to be a struggle. My girlfriend is from Poland and I'll be going across in the summer at some point. I'm just trying to get a very basic grasp on the language first so I'm not completely ignorant when I get there - I'll have to be able to function on my own when she's not there, be able to ask for things or where things are for example. I also need to not be "that Scottish boy that can't speak Polish" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullen13 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Girlfriend is going back to Oslo for over 3 months over the summer, think I should probably visit her for a bit. Been learning Norwegian and finding it a very easy language to pick up as an English speaker. Only got the very basics so far but beginning to form more complex sentences. Can't imagine it would be too much of a culture shock and I'm sure a lot of them will speak English. Anybody got any advice or heads up about Oslo or Norway in general as a native English speaker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CostaJambo Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Michael Bolton has covered most of what I would say. Good advice. I would just add the following: You will get out of it what you are prepared to put in, language and integration wise and socially, I wouldn't worry about that too much till you get there and see what it is like but I would guess you will find more than enough English speakers among the locals to help you out, not to mention other expats. You will probably face a big culture shock to start with, so set yourself a time limit of 2-3 months and then force yourself not to judge the place or form any opinions until that period has elapsed. I first went away just after turning 25 to a fairly unsociable place with very few people my age and was very lonely to start but it's amazing how that passes as you get to know the place/other people and you start to look at it in a new, more positive light. Best of luck if it happens, but one negative to bear in mind - HW is shite these days. N.B. Anyone think an expats sticky thread so people know where others have lived and are based now in case of future visits/job opportunities etc.would be worthwhile? Seems there are a lot more expats on here now than a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest C00l K1d Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Best of luck if it happens, but one negative to bear in mind - HW is shite these days. HW? If i was to move out somewhere for a decent period of time, i would probably like to be a bit more integrated in society, rather than living like a tourist for maybe a year. Although i may be different now, languages wasn't my strongest point at school and I think that's putting a bit of doubt into my mind with Asian languages being far harder to learn As i say I may not even end up getting an interview for this job but I'm constantly applying for jobs abroad so I guess it's only a matter of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CostaJambo Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Hearts World mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bolton Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 One good rule I set myself both in Poland and Sri Lanka is to not knock back any social invitation for the first 3 months when in a new place. You end up going to some really dull dinners or rubbish nights out, but at least it gets you out there and puts you in a position where you choose your mates. Knock nothing back until you have some mates.People who don't say yes eventually stop getting asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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