Moving overseas can be such a hard thing to do. This is especially true if you are moving to a country where the whole culture is different from yours. If you are thinking about moving overseas to the UK, you need to know a few things. This article discusses one of the things you may experience when moving overseas to the UK: culture shock.
Most people would think that moving from the United States to the UK would be no big deal. After all, they do speak English there, right? Because of this thinking, however, many people experience the terrible effects of culture shock once they get to the UK.
Let us first talk about the language. Many people think that moving to the UK would mean very little difference in terms of language. However, not many people know that in the UK, different words mean different things.
Let’s take the classic example of the potato snack: a chip in the US is called a crisp in the UK; a fry in the US is a chip in the UK. See how confusing things can be? Because of this, you need to really read up on the various use of words in the Queen’s English. You need to learn not only the use of words formally, but you should also learn about the use of words informally. You need to learn how to interpret statements within the context of a situation.
Of course, moving overseas to the UK is hard enough without having to learn a whole new way of using language. Be assured, however, that with long-term exposure to English people, you will soon learn to adjust yourself to the language. Who knows, with enough time, you might even get an accent!
Another thing that causes culture shock in people moving overseas to the UK is the fact that the laws there are quite different. Let’s take driving, for example. When Americans move overseas to the UK, they often need some time to adjust to driving on the left side of the road. This can be quite shocking for some at first and they may need a lot of time before they accept the fact that driving on the left is the right way of driving.
It is often the case that people who grow up doing things certain ways think of those ways as being the right ways. The most common cause of culture shock is the fact that people who move expect everything to be absolute.
Sure, in the United States you did celebrate thanksgiving. However, you need to realize that moving overseas to the UK does not involve taking the holiday with you. There are no absolutes when it comes to culture. People need to realize that moving overseas to the UK means embracing the culture of another country.
Another reason why people become culture shocked is not enough preparation. From the beginning, they should understand that the UK is a whole lot different from the US. Because of this, they should realize that certain adjustments have to be made. Moving overseas to the UK involves a lot of preparation and sacrifice.
Moving overseas to the UK can be a pretty hard ordeal. But if you keep an open mind and think of it as a whole new adventure, you will do just fine.
Step 1: Making the Decision
You should remember to always include your family when making decisions that will affect all of their lives. Nowadays, parents often tend to disregard the opinions and the feelings of their children in making decisions affecting the whole family. The common line that can be heard is this: “Kids, we are moving overseas.” That’s it, end of discussion. What needs to be heard from you is this: “Kids, we have been presented with a wonderful opportunity, but in order to get that opportunity, we are going to have to move overseas. What do you think we should do?”
Parents know that any child will always react negatively to the question. Because of this, they would rather not listen. This can be very harmful to a child’s self esteem. He or she might grow up thinking that you never had any respect for his or her opinion. Because of this, children often grow up resenting their parents.
Some parents think that the step of making the decision and breaking the news to the family should be separate. However, you need to understand that making the decision of moving the family overseas needs to be done by the family. You need to consider every opinion and you need to show that every opinion matters.
Step 2: Comforting Fears
Once you have made a decision, you should encourage your children if they have any worries regarding the move. Of course, your children will have all sorts of questions about what would happen. They will also have a lot of fear. This is natural. We all fear the unknown. This understanding will give you the first thing that you can do to ease those fears.
You need to learn about where you are going. This is the best thing that you can do to assuage your fears. When your children know what to expect when your family moves overseas, they will be able to drive their fears away. This step will also help you since knowing about where you are going will help calm your fears too.
Step 3: Planning
Moving your family overseas is not as simple as getting on a plane. There are a lot of considerations to face and there are plans to be made. Planning the move will help you make the transition much smoother for your family. In planning, you should try to find people who can help you. You should find and hire various services that can help you handle the intricate details of moving your family overseas. There are also people who prefer not to move the whole family overseas at once. Some people would plan the move in a series of steps with each family member following after a preset duration. This is ideal if you are on a tight budget.
Step 4: The Move
Moving your family overseas requires a lot of effort. You need to adjust to a new culture, a new climate, and a whole new way of living. The key to overcoming culture shock is to accept the fact that your way of life is not the only way of life. Respect the rights of others and you should be just fine. Make sure that your family also learns this lesson. By following these tips, you should find the experience of moving your family overseas to be pretty easy.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy