Enjoy moving

by Maura, Genius in Milan

Moving is probably the nowadays most great opportunity. Like Ulysse on his boat along the Mediterranum sea, expatriates travel globally.

Being an expatriate can be challenging and energizing experience.

Normally, if we accept to go to work and live abroad, it is because we have a high motivation to leave, and a bit of the Ulysse's soul inside ourself, that make us to perceive a positive opportunity in having working and life experience in another country.

Sometimes living in other country can mean experiencing also a cultural shock: because the country where we are living can be very different from our home country, and because to integrate well it can take some time.

But more we are able to understand the local culture and the local values, more we can become able to adapt to it; more we are able to enjoy what the new country can offer us, more we can learn how to valorise local cultural values, and to enrich ourselves.

I lived and worked abroad several times, and I regularly meet many people that use to work and live in an other country. In these videos you can hear some of their experiences.

Enjoy the video interview of Cristina, a Spanish in Milan

the video interview of Chiara,  an Italian in Mexico

the video interview of Nicola, an Italian in Hong Kong

 

Definetively, in your expat experience what you have to do it's to understand local cultural habits and values, and to understand how they impact on people everyday life and on business practices.

Once you understood them, in order to be effective, an not a fish outside the water, you need to adapt to the local habits and life style, so as to local communication and management preferred styles. Or, even better, you can try to  integrate and to valorize local cultural values and practices, with your home, or your company's cultural values and practices. 

This is the way through which you can show your intercultural competence, and to get most of your abroad experience, enriching yourself!

A pre-departure or arrival expatriates training program can help expatriates and their family's components to speed up the process of cultural understanding and adaptation. Contact me if you want to know more about it.

Thanks to our Milan's Genius Maura for sharing this great post!