Hurdles are inevitable when moving abroad
Go ahead and stretch now because more likely than not, you'll have some unforeseen hurdles to jump over when moving to a new country.
I love the fresh feeling of moving to a new country. It’s like a deep spring cleaning but you even toss out the house, the country, and the language.
To me, moving across borders is a lot of fun.
A neighbor asked me the other day if I came from a family of nomads as wandering must be in my DNA. I said my family hasn’t even moved out of southern US in our recorded history (minus a great, great grandmother who emigrated from Scotland). Short answer: I have no idea where this urge comes from.
She couldn’t understand my nonchalance when I mentioned that maybe we’d move away from Trieste but would figure that out later as we really didn’t need *that much* time to plan for something as silly as a move within the same country.
She has no idea where I get my kicks.
Truly, I’m not so sure why I enjoy moving so much. Choosing a place, picking a specific neighborhood, and house hunting are a great time but visas, navigating a new culture, and language aren’t (at least they are in the sense of scoping out a new grocery store but not so much when you’re trying to sign contracts and deal with immigration).
The thing is: every single time you move you’ll face a number of hurdles.
I naively thought that the more I moved, the easier it’d get. The only thing that has gotten easier is the fact that we are no longer shocked when things inevitably go wrong or get delayed. It’s just part of the game.
If you’re sitting down with your notebook or have a spreadsheet open with all the things you need to do to prepare for your move, that’s great. Stick with it.
The more organized you can be, the better.
But organized cannot mean rigid.
You have to be prepared for that last minute, “Oh wait, you’re missing a document we never told you to provide and we needed you to give it to us ideally yesterday” conversation.
It’s like playing a game that they give you the rulebook with half of the pages torn out but pretend the book in your hand is the real deal.
The more you can shift your mindset towards that, the better off you’ll be.
Personally, I’m a pen and paper kind of gal. I like my checklist to look nice and ideally be color coordinated for the maximum level of satisfaction when I check something off. So the moment I have to start squeezing new things into the margins, I can get a little huffy.
Instead of fighting the monster, swallow the anger, and make a new list.
Better yet, go digital for the chance to add and remove as many times as necessary while keeping things legible.
It might not be all aspects of the move that toss out some hurdles but it’ll definitely be a few things. Whether it’s finding a lease, getting your visa/residency permit together, or keeping up with your new job, something will pop out of nowhere.
Just know, the fun parts of moving abroad are right on the other side. I’d say “across the finish line” but really, you’re never quite done unless you magically can get a new passport on day one.
Gear up. I personally think it’s worth it, even if it makes me want to pull my hair out from time to time. It can’t be too bad if I keep signing myself up for it, right?