Changing location, change yourself as well!

Relocation and emigration

The problem of moving to a different country these days is more relevant than ever. Maybe you have had a good time in Thai or Spanish resorts, and then it hit you, ‘It is the place where I’d to live, where my children can go to school, I can change my job or keep working online, maybe even start an interesting international project’. Such ideas must have crossed  your mind once or twice, mustn’t they?

So you are willing and able to immigrate, but where to start? How to make this process as smooth as possible? A lot of people ask themselves these questions, and I will try to answer some of them in this article.

First of all, you should keep telling yourself that you can do it since moving abroad might be quite a difficult process. For some countries, it can even take years.

What do you need?

So what’s the most important thing you need? The language. The language is likely to be the first thing you will face as soon as you arrive in a foreign country. It is quite a relief that English might significantly help you in a new country before you sign up for a language school. Attending such a school is often compulsory in some countries as you need to learn the language of the country where you are going to live.
Where to begin?

What is a functional language?

Firstly. I would suggest learning so-called functional language, i.e. phrases that are used in everyday communication. That is something that should be taught first in foreign language lessons at school.
Let’s have a look at some of them, and you will see why they are essential.

Can you say that again, please? Or Can you repeat that slowly, please?


Actually, it is not even that important to say it accurately as your goal is to be understood by another person. Any new word you hear can puzzle you, so ask your interlocutor to say the phrase more slowly, to repeat it for you so that you understand what is being said.

Here is one of the most common phrases of the functional language:

How do you spell that?

We all are different in ways that help us memorise words, however, for many people, including me, it is easier to remember them if I see them in writing.


To start with, I would suggest not going into too much detail regarding such words as how, do, or spell. Just trust your teacher, and later in your classes, you will learn what they are and how to use them in a sentence.

Maybe you remember that it didn't take you much time to start using questions, like How much is it? or How much does it cost? in Turkish shops. You had a goal and it was to buy things.

New mentality

It is also very important when you move to a different country to learn not just a language but mentality of its people. For example, in England you can never be too polite and should start your questions with could.

Could you help me, please?

It sounds very formal and very British, but for example, in Spain, you will be understood and served even if you use something completely informal, like Give me two cups of coffee (Dame dos tazas de cafe). This way you sound as if you are addressing a friend which is really acceptable in Spanish culture.

Start with learning English

If you are thinking about moving, start preparing for it now.  As the saying goes, Thatch your roof before the rain begins. Start with learning the English language as it can open a lot of doors.

Begin with something simple, like the alphabet, learn to introduce yourself and give information about your name, age, marital status, education, and job. Don't forget about numbers. You are also going to need basic simple tenses, like present simple, past simple, and future simple. You can do such a course of General English for beginners with one of the skype-language.com teachers.

Don't be afraid and stop comparing yourself, start acting!

In the end, I’d like to remind you that it's really important not to be afraid and stop comparing yourself with others. You can already speak at least one language - your native one, so you can learn to speak more. Recently one of my Spanish language students shared a story with me, ‘I went to English classes for 3 years, and still couldn't speak. And then I went on a fortnight trip to Nepal and there I  learnt more than I did over those 3 years. Undoubtedly, it is wonderful to learn the language in the language environment, but we can and need to start with something small. If you have a dream, if you are eager to change something in your life start acting now!

Change yourself first and surround yourself with people who you can rely on and who will support you in all your endeavors!