Summary: Living abroad teaches us so many things, but the most important are those learned about ourselves. Some would be good to know ahead of time, while others can only be learned through experience.

Living abroad teaches us so many things, but the most important are those learned about ourselves. Some would be good to know ahead of time, while others can only be learned through experience.

1. Shyness is a luxury. As an expat, you HAVE to get used to meeting and socialising with strangers...unless you are ok with being very lonely. As I've said before, to begin with, accept any invitation you receive in your new country, and go from there. You'll have loads of choice if you just reach out.

2. On the same note as above, being an expat is an excellent opportunity to develop interests and talents you've always had but perhaps never put into action. This 1) lets you create something of your own in order to gain independence and 2) keeps you busy and meeting new people. Being an expat is an excellent confidence builder if you treat it as an opportunity.

3. Being an Expat Partner/Spouse adds a lot more complexity to a relationship, making essential relationship values such as flexibility and patience even more important. Both partners need to be committed to being open minded about the challenges they will face when one or both are moving to a new country. New expats need to be a bit more open to trying new things, and those partners who are already in their home country need to accept that flexibility is essential and some things they take for granted may not be (at least immediately) acceptable to their immigrant wife/husband/partner. Stubbornness and resistance to change can cause roadblocks and unhappiness in any relationship, but can be the downfall of an expat relationship. If you can handle a relationship abroad with grace and success, you can handle anything!

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About the Author Susan is an expat who has lived in five countries over the past four years. Originally from Chicago, USA she has finally settled down in Adelaide, South Australia with her Aussie husband. Check out Susan's blog.

First Published: Dec 07, 2008