Living Abroad- Share your experiences.

[fulfillthedream]

So I traveled a little throughout my life to some different places but only for 2-3 weeks at a time. I always had the desire to live abroad and missed the chance in college to do a semester over seas.

So after I graduated I got the idea to teach English abroad- I figured it'd be a cool way to live in another country while working to be able to sustain your self. Applied for a bunch of places and got the most responses back from China. I got one really good offer from a company in Guangzhou. I took it and here I am living here in GZ.

My experience so far its pretty amazing. It was really hard the first 2-3 days but not its getting a lot more easier. Each day feels like an adventure where I see or learn something new. Teaching English is pretty fun cause I work younger kids. A long with that I've met a dope crew of skateboarders and other people who are here just like me.

Any one else on here moved from their home country to another place? If so share your stories and experiences.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Any one else on here moved from their home country to another place? If so share your stories and experiences.

Yes. I used to study in South Africa for a year. Compared to regular travels I feel like living somewhere gives you a better insight into everyday life and a better grasp on the country / city you're living in. You interact more with locals and pretty much do the same stuff they're into.

Ever since I got back, travelling hasn't been the same again. For example, I've been to the US for 4 weeks after that and visited a local friend who took me around but it didn't feel the same way as living in a place. Even if you know people it somehow has that artificial feel to it...

[DJSoftspot]

I'm teaching English in South Korea right now and so far it's pretty good. Job wise, it's kind of a joke. I teach at a private school and they are all about making money. Like we have report cards and no matter how shit the students are, we have to get them straight a's. but I can still see most students learning. So I guess it works out. If you have teaching morals, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're about making that guac or adventure, go for it. Pay is reallly good and most things are cheap. Public school is different though.

Skate wise, it kind of sucks. I live in jeonju and there's some sick plazas, but its almost impossible to skate to spots. The roads/sidewalks are rough as fuck. I've broken four bearings in only two weeks. Also no one really skates here. I've seen two people. Crowds gather and girls admire you. It's a nice ego boost even if you suck. It gets annoying though. Seoul is supposedly great for skating though, but a bit more difficult to get a job there.

Teaching English is huge and very important here, so there's a lot of foreign English speaking people. It seems most are in bars or shopping when not teaching. So if that's your thing, it's very similar to the states. I have yet to have a thriving social life, but I've only been here a bit over two weeks and am a bit antisocial. I mostly hang with my co-workers and drink/eat food or skate by myself. There's also tons of great mountains to hike.

Koreans seem to be pretty nice overall. They love to share:spots, food, whatever. Crime (getting robbed, shot, killed) is really low here. You can go anywhere at night with no problems, you can also drink in public. There's no weed or drugs in general. I heard prostitutions big but I haven't seen any. Porn is illegal, but there's easy ways around it. The women are beautiful. People seem to be extremely superficial though.  It kind of seems like a cartoon version of the states. They love western shit to the point where it's annoying

I give it a 7/10

[fulfillthedream]

thanks for sharing folks- and yes  Henti Hero your point on learning the language is a good point- i learned some very basic Mandarin just to use in stores and what not and i am learning more by the day. its pretty cool when you can do a full conversation in another language- I have yet to be able to have more complex ones ( my third week here ) but i really want to strive to speak the language of the country I am currently living in. i've been really trying to get basic things down with my co-workers (locals and foreigners who've learned Mandarin)

I've been lucky and found a sick meet up flat ground spot with a local shop near by thats got boxes, rails and cones we set up in the park and everyone is just doing their own thing at this park and no one really spectates because in other parts of GZ people will stop and look - its so new to them that they are really stoked on what you can do with a skateboard- i am not used to getting that much positive attention. but yeah this is a amazing experience so far (just 3 weeks in) and it seems to be getting better by the day.

[sexualhelon]

Traveling definitely broadens your horizons and I think it's crucial in becoming a truly open minded individual. It's a progression of sorts in the leaps you take - at first you'll maybe go on a trip for a few weeks, maybe then you'll travel for months, maybe do a round the world trip, then eventually end up living abroad. In the shorter stints, after time, it definitely feels a bit superficial and "vacation-ey" to me no matter what I'm doing since I've traveled so much. With age I think you sort of figure out your daily routine and with any free day you have, no matter where, you tend to gravitate towards some similar pattern just in a new country which even so accounts for something. I think about how a lot of people on these 2/3 week shabangs just want to get drunk, have sex, and still leave ignorant to a lot of things in regards to the country they've just visited. 

I've lived in the States, Poland, Serbia, and Australia but spent heaps of time in Bangkok. After leaving the States and living in other places now even if I go from LA to NYC it doesn't even feel like a vacation - I've got to go to a new country for it to feel authentic. I've traveled to almost every state in the U.S., almost every country in Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Poland was the best for me - the culture and history is one I could go on about all day, Polish is perhaps my favorite language, and within all of Europe the beer, bread, wine, cafes, etc... is just my preferred culture. I've also thought about these people who just want to get laid by Polish,German, Brazilian, etc... girls from whatever country, is that if you really know what you're into that you should just go rent a flat there for a month. Those things work out a lot better if you actually have a base, can make friends, and form meaningful relationships (albeit maybe short term) vs raging it for a couple of days. You'll experience a lot more as well.

I thought about teaching English in Asia but man... I'm just not into Asian girls at all. The culture's an interesting one and I'd definitely live there but it's sort of like when you go to a cool city but don't see yourself actually living there unless you got a really good job offer in which case you'd be all about it. I haven't been to Japan though - really want to.

[twitchflip]

^ sounds like you've done so much, dude. respect for getting out of your comfort zone and throwing yourself amongst it!

we had so many exchange students stay at our house for years so experiencing the world has been an ambition of mine from a very young age. when I was 16 I did an exchange program to Brazil for a year which was great. its amazing how much living in a completely different culture at that age can challenge your childhood beliefs and help shape you as an adult - not to mention learning portuguese to the point where you think and dream in it was amazing. it actually became easier to speak that than english towards the end.

after returning to aus and finishing high school, I headed to the states and couch surfed around the san fran/ nor cal area for 3 months, with a brief stint up in british columbia. met a bunch of great people, skated a lot, partied and loved it.
headed back to aus and did the university thing for a few years and couldn't wait to leave again.

graduated, worked my ass off to save up some cash and bought a one way ticket to berlin to travel europe. I made a thread on here before I left and got some great feedback. hercules rockefeller was kind enough to offer us a place to stay for a few days in austria which was fucking amazing. thanks heaps, stefan!! you're a legend, i'd gnar the fuck out of you if I could! travelling europe has been wild! visited many countries, ate great food, drank great beer, skated some amazing spots and just generally loved everything about europe. stayed with a friend in barcelona for a month and a half which ruled! if you're bored, a clip of our spanish adventure can be found somewhere in the post you skating thread.

im now living in Edinburgh, UK and loving it! got lucky with a really good job and made friends with a bunch of the local skate scene. haven't seen much else of Scotland yet but im keen to get out there this summer and have a look around.

sorry for the self-centred rant, I kinda just got on a roll and went with it. I guess my point is everyone should get out there and experience what its like on the other side of the fence. theres so many good times to be had and so much to learn and experience. dont make excuses, work hard, save up, book a flight and throw yourself in it. you'll never look back!


 

[sexualhelon]

^ That's sick man - I think I might have even replied in that thread of yours. Your travels sound like the worked out well in an epic fashion. My plans right now are to try and spend a couple of more months in Europe between my move from LA to NYC but, ay, if I can work it out to just stay in Europe I definitely would but that's a bit difficult for me to find work there. Being from Aus, the weather in Edinburgh isn't getting to you?

Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea are the only countries as a US citizen I can get working holiday visas in and I've already used the Australia one. The other one's don't have as much of a draw for me but I've thought about giving Singapore or South Korea a go. Anyone ever used the working holiday visa for those countries? Montreal is also pretty cool so I've thought about that one too along with Ireland just for the proximity to the rest of Europe.

[hornyrick]

what are qualifications for teaching english abroad? have been thinking about pursuing it for a while. defiantly going to consider it when picking a major.

[360 frip]

what are qualifications for teaching english abroad? have been thinking about pursuing it for a while. defiantly going to consider it when picking a major.

Get a TESOL/CELTA certificate, you may not need it, but it could separate you from the herd for better(-ish) jobs...

[The Drew]

i got to meet hentihero while he was over here last time... bummed i couldn't go hang with him today, i'm currently unemployed and broke so i couldn't afford the train... dont let him fool you though his japanese was and probably still is pretty darn good.

i did the teaching thing for awhile, but after a couple of years it gets pretty boring and its not the best paying job you can get or very secure (english teachers are a dime a dozen)... as my japanese got better i decided i would go to school here and study graphic design, passed all my exams got accepted then ran into a huge financial problem and had to quit the week before semester started... did a little bit more teaching and other non-teaching work... now i'm looking for a full time non-teaching job... its been rather difficult (i dont live in a big city like tokyo and foreign staff are not in high demand outside of factories here)... hopefully i do well at my trial next week and get the job

hentihero is here all of june so i guess when he sobers up and i find some cash we will try and get a pal session happening

also got to meet asakusa75 while he was still living here... dude is amazing on the old shred sled (i guess when you are an Australian skateboard legend you'll be pretty good) and a top bloke too...

[sexualhelon]

Basically the only main requirement for teaching English abroad in most places is a bachelors degree of any kind and then if you want to get a TESOL/CELTA certificate that'll help you out on top of it. I taught English under the table in a couple of places and from my experience if say you don't have a bachelors degree but the means to go hang out somewhere for a month you'll probably be able to land something. If you're from the states you can get a working holiday visa in South Korea for 18 months and in that time frame someone will definitely pick you up.

I feel the same as The Drew about teaching English in most places abroad though. It's not too inspiring, you're a dime a dozen, and I'd sort of get to the point where in some of those countries it felt like that's all I was every going to do there. For a short stint of just experiencing the culture though it's really a great, easy way to do it and be sustainable.

[hornyrick]

That's it? I have always thought it was a lot difficult. Well thanks for the feedback!

[twitchflip]

^ That's sick man - I think I might have even replied in that thread of yours. Your travels sound like the worked out well in an epic fashion. My plans right now are to try and spend a couple of more months in Europe between my move from LA to NYC but, ay, if I can work it out to just stay in Europe I definitely would but that's a bit difficult for me to find work there. Being from Aus, the weather in Edinburgh isn't getting to you?

Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea are the only countries as a US citizen I can get working holiday visas in and I've already used the Australia one. The other one's don't have as much of a draw for me but I've thought about giving Singapore or South Korea a go. Anyone ever used the working holiday visa for those countries? Montreal is also pretty cool so I've thought about that one too along with Ireland just for the proximity to the rest of Europe.

ahh that's right, I do remember you giving me some recommendations/ advice about Eastern Europe in my thread.. thanks for that! Budapest was the furthest east I got, unfortunately. that place was sickkk! definitely keen to head over to Poland and check that out at some point. I've also heard great things about Macedonia. you been?

that sucks that u.s citizens are excluded from the Youth Mobility Visa Scheme for the UK. it's a really cheap and easy way to come over and work and travel. my boss is willing to sponsor me through the company so hopefully in a couple of years i'll have a British passport! pretty stoked on that!   

after the 2nd coldest March on record, the weather here has been surprisingly great - albeit kinda windy at times. the last week or two has been blue skies and warm. i'm hoping it holds out and we have a good summer! Scotland is a great place - I recommend to whoever is reading this to come and check it out.

I think a New Zealand working holiday would be amazing. that place is off it's head! i've only been during winter but I heard the summer there is just as good. queenstown would have plenty of short-term employment opportunities for travellers too.. get on it!

[sexualhelon]

Yeah man, Macedonia is amazing but I wouldn't necessarily say it was my favorite - haha however it's still part of the region I'd consider my favorite in the world so take that with a grain of salt. The Balkans to me were absolutely nuts in a good way with the people, nightlife, and skating all being amazing as well as cheap.

For some reason New Zealand just doesn't have the same draw to me as the other places and it's so isolated along with being quite similar to the culture/landscape I come from. I feel the same about Canada but actually quite like Montreal so could see myself doing that there or if it was one of the Asian countries it would just be for the vast difference of cultures. Ireland would be solely for me to be closer to Europe but I've heard it's really bad there for jobs - that the amount of people in Ireland leaving with working holiday visas just keeps rising. Honestly I'd probably just risk it and live somewhere for as long as I could in Western Europe then bounce over to Eastern Europe. If you're just looking for lodging you can often times work at hostels for a bed which will draw out your vacation ten fold.