3 Tips For Preparing To Live Outside The U.S. For The First Time

If you’ve lived in American all your life, there might be a part of you that yearns to know what it’s like to live beyond the borders of the U.S. Especially if you love to travel and have already spent some time in other countries, living abroad for a while might seem like the logical next step to you. And who knows, you might even choose to stay permanently. But if you’re just starting off on this journey, there are likely a few things you’re unsure about or that are concerning to you. So to help make this process a little easier to bear, here are three tips for preparing to live outside the U.S. for the first time.

Set Up For Your New Life Abroad

Before you decide that you’re going to move to a particular country, it’s a good idea to begin setting up your life there, including finding a job and a decent place that you might like to live. According to Jennifer Lachs, a contributor to GoAbroad.com, there are tons of work abroad programs available that can help you line up a job while you’re living in this new country. If you work for a large company in the U.S., you might want to see if there’s a chance for simply transferring to an office in another country. And since it can be hard to find a place to live merely by looking online, you may want to book a hotel for the first few nights that you’ll be in this new country so you can get a first-hand look at a few places you’ve been considering before you make a permanent choice.

Prepare The Legal Logistics

Living in a different country is very different from just visiting that country for a short period of time, especially if you don’t necessarily have a timeframe of when you may or may not be leaving the country. Because of this, it’s important that you get all the legal logistics taken care of before you arrive. According to Elizabeth Preske, a contributor to Travel and Leisure, this could include applying for or renewing your passport, securing a visa, setting up a bank account, finding the right medical insurance, and making copies of any important documents you may need to bring with you.

Get Ready For Potential Culture Shock

Even if you’ve been to this country before, living there could be a whole different ball game for you. With this in mind, Diane Schmidt, a contributor to The Spruce, suggests that you prepare yourself for potential culture shock. To best handle this, you may want to start learning any new languages as soon as you can, do as much research about the area and customs as you’re able to, and prepare yourself to be open-minded and accepting of things you may not be familiar with or easily understand.

If you’re considering moving outside of the U.S., use the tips mentioned above to prepare yourself for this new adventure.

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Travelling, Procrastination and a Stolen Photo

I am not been active on blogging these past few weeks, most of my blogs was not updated in a month.  It is not because I am not interested in blogging anymore but because I am quite busy, it was been a month since we left Korea and it was been a month since we are travelling.  In one month, we have been to more than 5 countries already,  Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and now we are in Romania and I am looking forward to see Dracula. Haha!

Travelling Alone

I wake up this morning reading a message that my photo in this blog was stolen and used by someone in Facebook.  I felt a rushing feeling to my veins (thinking what photo) so I immediately went to my blog but I was welcomed by a note that my blog is suspended. Oh, I forgot the transfer process, I didn’t renew my hosting few days ago and I forgot to transfer my blogs to my other hosting.  I immediately started the transfer (from an old back-up) but because I am running out of time as we are living to do sightseeing I just log-out and continue the process when we returned to our hotel.

When I checked my FB page I have found out what photo was copied, I am thankful to the sender for letting me know and alerting me that I have to tighten the security (I mean to add more secure watermarked). I also found another message dated almost 2 months ago about the card recharge thingy (sorry was not around my FB pages that’s why late reply).

With this, the procrastinated me thought of updating this blog today! Thank you again for the helpful note (you know who you are)! 🙂

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Goodbye Korea and Hello Europe!

We left Korea on March 2nd, like expected we have to surrender our Alien Registration Card if we have no plans of coming back.  I felt sad thinking it is going to be my last time to come in and out of the airport, and seeing Korea.  With my almost 5 years of living in Korea I didn’t gained a lot of friends, if Cathlaine didn’t email me or show an interest to meet me after my blog help her on the visa requirements I probably didn’t have a friend at all in Korea,  she left ahead of me to US after her spousal visa was granted so I am left alone by myself although nothing has changed because we seldom met, we probably met 4 times in four years. Lol

Pecs, Hungary

Anyway, our flight to Moscow leaves at 12 something in the afternoon, we arrived at the airport around 10:45 in the morning but still we didn’t have a chance to roam around because there’s a long line in the check-in counter which took most of our time, so after we check-in we went directly went to the immigration, took the train to our gate and in few minutes boarding time.

From Moscow, we have connecting flight to Budapest, Hungary as expected we have to sit in the airport to wait for boarding time.  It was a tiring day, 2 long flights in one day!

We arrived in the evening in Budapest, we just slept for few hours and we started our first day of sight seeing early in the morning.

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Heavy Rain and Yellowish Water from the Faucet

It was been raining for few days already and the rain yesterday was non-stop as I am trying to refill our water filter I have notice that the water from our kitchen faucet is yellowish, I immediately turn off the water and throw the water in our water filter. I let the faucet run for few minutes but still the water has yellowish color so I waited for my husband to came home so I can inform him about our water problem, I just drink fresh milk to fed my thirst.

Faucet Running

[Image not Mine]

When my husband came home the water is still yellowish but when we tried the water in the bathroom sink it is clear so we don’t where’s the problem if it is due to heavy rain or the pipe is dirty. Anyway when we went to the gym that late afternoon I take the chance to drink a lot and even bring water home by filling bottle my husband did the same as well it looks like we are fetching drinking water from the gym.

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Sausage Sandwich with Hot Mustard Sauce

This is my second sandwich last Friday, I am only able to eat two sandwiches because I can’t take the taste of the hot mustard it tasted like wasabi.

Sausage Sandwich

For the second try my husband told me to wipe the hot mustard in the bread and not just drop it in the sausage, so I did but it turns out I put a lot so I ended up not eating the whole sandwich I ate the sausage alone.

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Filipino Style Ice Cream Sandwich

One night my husband asked me to buy something to eat in GS25 aside from buying an ice cream for both of us.  While looking at store fridge I have found another flavor of ice cream knowing my husband will pay for the other ice cream I bought another one for me. When he saw three ice cream he get mad thinking I will ask him to pay the other one, lol.

Anyway you may not familiar with this but this is common in our province the poor version of  ice cream sandwich. It is simple as you can see just ice cream between the buns.  Most dirty ice cream vendor has this version which is very popular among elementary students and even high school students too, it is also popular when there’s  a town or school affair like fiesta, provincial meet and etc.,

When my husband saw what I am doing, he laugh and called me barbaric and asked if it is poor mans thing in my country. Well I said yes and it is popular in the street, this taste better than eating ice cream in the cheap cone.

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Snowy Friday and Buying Chocolates from Watsons

It snowed two times today I would like to go out this morning to take picture of me in the snow but cooking makes me busy. I just postponed it thinking I can have pictures later when we go to the gym, well the snow stop and before I know it our landlord started cleaning the frost in front of the apartment and in the garage. So when we went out to go to the gym the street is snow clean but the good thing is it is snowing again! Yipee, I asked my husband to take picture of me well he did but he said you can’t really see the snow, maybe because it is just starting.

Icheon, Gyeonggi-do

We first went to the bank and while waiting for him I went out and started taking snapshots around me and of course myself.

Truffles Chocolate

To make the story short it is our cheat day today, so we went to Watsons to buy some chocolates. Because he ate two of my chocolates last weekend he bought two for me and treat me another chocolate, I picked two truffles and a chocolate bar and then to the bakery to buy brown bread and have a stop in Family Mart to buy chicken and mayonnaise, all we got is the latter so went to the nearby Gs25 to buy chicken and he asked me if I want a meal as I am full from my dinner I opted on chocolate wafer. I didn’t eat my chocolates yet, thinking I can add this to my box (to send home).

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Korean Chestnuts and Rice Crackers

One of the things I brought home the other night when I bought hotteok, I am on my way home when I saw the familiar cart selling chestnuts and rice crackers, I already passed by him but I return thinking it is the old man’s cart. Anyway, I don’t know if they are related or the young man’s cart just look the same with the old man’s cart.

Oh well, all I want is to try one box, I just pointed it to him and he gave me a piece to try, then he said two in Korean so I just let him put two boxes in a plastic bag because I don’t know how to say one box only. Haha, while he is busy I am thinking if I have change left, so my eyes are focused on the money I have paid him, he asked me if I am from the Philippines and I said yes, then suddenly he took another plastic bag bigger than the first one and put rice cracker in it. I told him no, I am not going to buy rice cracker eh.

Oh well dunno if we understand each other, he said thank you, thank you..(like saying this is thank you) so I am thinking he is saying it’s a free or service as what they called it. Oh well, I just took the bag, say may thank you and goodbye because I supposed he is not going to give me any change anymore.

Anyway, just lucky that he gave me two boxes of chestnuts because my husband likes it, he enjoys eating the roasted chestnuts as well am I. I am going to buy more next time, that’s for sure.

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Pepero Day is Coming Soon!

It’s not yet November but stores already displays a lot of loot for Pepero Day,  small and big pepero. I normally feel ashamed taking photos but this time I took my chance to take a snap and as what I am expected my husband walk away from me.  It looks like it is a crime to take photo ah, anyway he don’t like it when I always snap here and there, he always said I am embarrassing him.

Pepero Chocolates in Korean Supermarket

Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine’s Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date “11/11” resembles four sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts. Lotte denies starting the holiday and instead states that they noticed a bump in Pepero sales around November 11th and after continued popularity they decided to then encourage the holiday with special gift boxes and other promotions.Some consider it to be a contrived holiday and some teachers have encouraged children to exchange healthy snacks to help combat obesity. An alternative “Garaetteok Day” (sticks of white tteok) has been proposed.

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Mini Pizza from Paris Baguette

If you are craving for pizza and you have no budget for it, you can try the mini pizza in Paris Baguette. That’s what I did when my husband doesn’t want to eat pizza, so when we dropped by at Paris Baguette to buy his bread and pastries I really insist  to buy a mini pizza for me.

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