How to Settle Your Family in a New Country
When you move to a new country, whether it’s for a job or because you want a different lifestyle and a foreign country means that can happen, it’s always exciting. Yet, it’s also daunting. It’s scary. It’s fun. It’s all the emotions you might have about moving from your current property to a new one in a different area only amplified because you’ll be in an entirely different country.
If you’re moving with your family, it can be even harder to deal with, and as well as all the logistical issues you’ll need to think about, you will also have to contend with making sure your family is settled. Here are some tips on how to do it.
photo Ged Carroll
Be Understanding
Looking at the different properties that the experts at Uganda Property Centre had available for you, or the ones on the Costa Del Sol, or the ones in Paris, or wherever else you might be thinking of moving to would have certainly been exciting for all family members. It would also have been very exciting when you took a trip to your new home, or at least the city you are going to move to; it would have been a vacation and, therefore, something fun.
However, once the excitement has gone, trepidation and anxiousness will take its place. Children will be sad about leaving friends and family behind, and, depending on their age, they might not quite be able to express their feelings very well. This can lead to acting out.
The best thing you can do as a parent in this situation is to be understanding. You’ll know how you feel about the move too, and it’s likely your children will be feeling very similar emotions. Always try to stay positive, but make sure they know you understand what they are feeling.
Prepare Well in Advance
As with anything, the more prepared you are, the easier your move to another country will be, and the easier it will be to settle your family once you arrive. If you are calm and collected because everything is arranged before you arrive (things like a new bank account, school places, a job, and, of course, having a home to go to), that will help your children to feel calm as well. They will always take your lead in strange situations, and if you’re anxious and unsure about anything, they will certainly pick up on it.
Ideally, you will know the local area and have a good idea about what is available there. Sign up to some clubs and start to get involved in the local community, and you’ll fit right in from the start.
photo/ Gerd Altmann
Learn the Language
Something else that will help immensely when you’re moving to a different country is learning the language, assuming wherever you are going doesn’t speak English. This is something else you can start in advance, perhaps attending classes or using online resources. It’s even better if you can do this as a family; it’s a good way to bond over the experience you’re about to have.
Once you arrive in your new home and are already speaking at least a little of the language, it will be much easier to settle in and be a more enjoyable experience as you’ll be able to understand more of what is going on around you.
Author: Carol Trehearn
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