Creating a Home Away From Home Abroad: A 3-Part Guide
This is the third time I am starting from scratch in a foreign country, and this whole moving abroad/creating a home somewhere new is starting to feel oddly familiar. Each time, it brings with it excitement and challenges demanding to be conquered. I figured I'd write a how-to guide about it, combining the experiences I had moving to Munich for my junior year, moving there again two years later to find work, and, most recently (less than a week ago), moving to Austria for a Fulbright grant. I hope readers find this guide humorous and helpful. 1. Before you leave: Pack comforts from home. These will comfort you when you have the fairly inevitable break-down, in which you question what the heck you are doing leaving your comfortable life for a year. (By the way, when this does happen, follow it with a long, hot shower. It is cathartic.) Such items may include: stuffed animals you have had since you were a child (it’s okay, the TSA people won’t judge); printed photos of your ...