Moving Abroad: Practical, Social, and Cultural Aspects
In today’s globalised world, more and more people decide to emigrate from their home countries in search of better education or career opportunities. At the same time, others choose to move out of their parents’ homes and live independently. When people immigrate into another country, they often need official documents such as a visa, a residence permit, or a work permit before they can legally settle in their new location. Completing the necessary paperwork may be time-consuming, but it is an essential step for those who want to settle down abroad.
Finding accommodation is another important challenge. Some people buy a property with the help of an estate agent, while others prefer to rent from a landlord and share a flat with a flatmate to reduce housing costs. Choosing the right neighbourhood is also important because it affects access to medical institutions, public transport, and schools.
Living abroad is not only about practical arrangements; it also requires social and emotional adjustment. Many newcomers experience culture shock when they face different traditions, customs, or lifestyles. Language can be a major obstacle, and the language barrier sometimes makes people feel homesick or isolated. Nevertheless, living in a multicultural environment also offers opportunities to fit in and learn new perspectives.
Education plays a major role in international mobility. A growing number of young people choose to study as foreign students through an exchange programme. These programmes allow students to experience another culture, improve their language skills, and prepare for the labour market.
Overall, moving abroad is a complex process that combines both opportunities and difficulties. While individuals may benefit from wider career choices and cultural experiences, they must also deal with practical issues such as paperwork, housing, and financial costs, as well as personal challenges like culture shock and homesickness. Therefore, emigration and immigration should be viewed as processes that require careful preparation and realistic expectations.
Key vocabulary:
accommodation — [əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən] — a place to live (flat, house, dormitory); mājvieta
adjustment — [əˈdʒʌst] — getting used to a new culture or lifestyle; pielāgošanās
career opportunity — [kəˈrɪər ˌɒp.əˈtʃuː.nə.ti] — a chance to find good jobs; karjeras iespēja
culture shock — [ˈkʌl.tʃə ˌʃɒk] — the feeling of confusion when you live in a new culture; kultūras šoks
emigrate — [ˈem.ɪ.ɡreɪt] — to leave your own country to live in another; emigrēt, izceļot
estate agent — [ɪˈsteɪt ˌeɪ.dʒənt] — a person whose job is to arrange the sale, renting or management of homes, land and buildings for the owners; nekustamā īpašuma aģents
exchange programme — [ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ ˈprəʊ.ɡræm] —studying abroad for a short period (e.g., Erasmus+); apmaiņas programma
fit in (with somebody/something) — [fɪt] — to feel comfortable and accepted in a group; piemēroties, pielāgoties
flatmate (also: roommate) — [ˈflæt.meɪt] — a person you share accommodation with; istabas biedrs
foreign student — [ˈfɒr.ən ˈstjuː.dənt] — a student studying in another country; ārvalstu students
adjustment — [əˈdʒʌst] — getting used to a new culture or lifestyle; pielāgošanās
career opportunity — [kəˈrɪər ˌɒp.əˈtʃuː.nə.ti] — a chance to find good jobs; karjeras iespēja
culture shock — [ˈkʌl.tʃə ˌʃɒk] — the feeling of confusion when you live in a new culture; kultūras šoks
emigrate — [ˈem.ɪ.ɡreɪt] — to leave your own country to live in another; emigrēt, izceļot
estate agent — [ɪˈsteɪt ˌeɪ.dʒənt] — a person whose job is to arrange the sale, renting or management of homes, land and buildings for the owners; nekustamā īpašuma aģents
exchange programme — [ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ ˈprəʊ.ɡræm] —studying abroad for a short period (e.g., Erasmus+); apmaiņas programma
fit in (with somebody/something) — [fɪt] — to feel comfortable and accepted in a group; piemēroties, pielāgoties
flatmate (also: roommate) — [ˈflæt.meɪt] — a person you share accommodation with; istabas biedrs
foreign student — [ˈfɒr.ən ˈstjuː.dənt] — a student studying in another country; ārvalstu students
homesick — [ˈhəʊm.sɪk] — sadness from missing home and family; ilgoties pēc mājām (dzimtenes)
housing costs — [ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ kɒsts] — the amount of money you pay for accommodation; mājokļa uzturēšanas izmaksas — īre, komunālie maksājumi, mājokļa apdrošināšana, remontdarbi, u.tml.
housing costs — [ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ kɒsts] — the amount of money you pay for accommodation; mājokļa uzturēšanas izmaksas — īre, komunālie maksājumi, mājokļa apdrošināšana, remontdarbi, u.tml.
immigrate — [ˈɪm.ɪ.ɡrənt] — to come into a new country to live there; imigrēt, ieceļot
labour market (also: job market) — [ˈleɪ.bə ˌmɑː.kɪt] — available work opportunities; darba tirgus
landlord — [ˈlænd.lɔːd] — a person or organization that owns a building or an area of land and is paid by other people for the use of it; (mājas, viesnīcas) saimnieks
language barrier — [ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ ˈbær.i.ər] — difficulty in communication due to different languages; valodas barjera
landlord — [ˈlænd.lɔːd] — a person or organization that owns a building or an area of land and is paid by other people for the use of it; (mājas, viesnīcas) saimnieks
language barrier — [ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ ˈbær.i.ər] — difficulty in communication due to different languages; valodas barjera
move out — [muːv aʊt] — to stop living in a particular home; izvākties no patreizējās dzīvesvietas
multicultural — [ˌmʌl.tiˈkʌl.tʃər.əl] — including people from many countries/cultures; multikulturāls, tāds, kas attiecas uz dažādām etniskajām grupām, to kultūru un vēsturi
multicultural — [ˌmʌl.tiˈkʌl.tʃər.əl] — including people from many countries/cultures; multikulturāls, tāds, kas attiecas uz dažādām etniskajām grupām, to kultūru un vēsturi
neighbourhood — [ˈneɪ.bə.hʊd] — the area where you live; apkaime, apkārtne
paperwork — [ˈpeɪ.pə.wɜːk] — official documents you need to fill in; darbs ar dokumentiem
property — [ˈprɒp.ə.ti] — an object or objects that belong to someone; īpašums
public transport — [ˌpʌb.lɪk ˈtræn.spɔːt] — buses, trains, metro in a city; sabiedriskais transports
paperwork — [ˈpeɪ.pə.wɜːk] — official documents you need to fill in; darbs ar dokumentiem
property — [ˈprɒp.ə.ti] — an object or objects that belong to someone; īpašums
public transport — [ˌpʌb.lɪk ˈtræn.spɔːt] — buses, trains, metro in a city; sabiedriskais transports
remover (also: furniture remover) — [rɪˈmuː.vər] — someone who helps people move their possessions to a different place to live or work; mēbeļu pārvadātājs
residence permit — [ˈrez.ɪ.dəns ˈpɜː.mɪt ] — official permission to live in a country; uzturēšanās atļauja
residence permit — [ˈrez.ɪ.dəns ˈpɜː.mɪt ] — official permission to live in a country; uzturēšanās atļauja
settle — [ˈset.əl] — to go and live somewhere, especially permanently; apmesties (uz dzīvi)
settle down — [ˈset.əl daʊn] — to begin to live a stable life in a place; iekārtoties (uz dzīvi kaut kur)
tradition — [trəˈdɪʃ.ən] — a custom or way of life in a culture; tradīcija
visa — [ˈviː.zə] — an official document allowing you to enter/stay in another country; vīza
work permit — [ˈwɜːk pəˌmɪt] — official permission to work in a country; darba atļauja
visa — [ˈviː.zə] — an official document allowing you to enter/stay in another country; vīza
work permit — [ˈwɜːk pəˌmɪt] — official permission to work in a country; darba atļauja
Practice: here is a set of discussion questions for you to study. For each question an answer prompt is provided to help you practise giving structured responses with clear arguments and a proper conclusion.
1. Why do people emigrate from their home countries?
"In my view, one strong reason is that people emigrate for better education or wider career opportunities. Another factor to consider is political or economic instability in their home country. For example, many students leave to study in universities abroad and later find jobs there. To sum up, people emigrate mainly because they hope for a safer or more successful future."
2. What are the main challenges of settling abroad?
"Settling abroad is often difficult because of practical issues such as visas, residence permits, and other paperwork. In addition, finding suitable accommodation and adjusting to higher housing costs can be stressful. On the other hand, social challenges like the language barrier and culture shock are equally important. So, the process of settling abroad combines legal, financial, and emotional difficulties."
"Settling abroad is often difficult because of practical issues such as visas, residence permits, and other paperwork. In addition, finding suitable accommodation and adjusting to higher housing costs can be stressful. On the other hand, social challenges like the language barrier and culture shock are equally important. So, the process of settling abroad combines legal, financial, and emotional difficulties."
3. How does living in a multicultural environment influence people?
"Living in a multicultural environment can be challenging because different traditions and customs sometimes create misunderstandings. Nevertheless, it also offers great benefits, such as learning tolerance and gaining new perspectives. For instance, people often adopt new habits from their multicultural communities. All in all, multicultural societies create more opportunities than problems."
4. Why do many young people choose to study as international students?
"Many young people study abroad because exchange programmes improve language skills and prepare them for the international job market. A further argument is that living abroad gives them independence and confidence. For example, international students often return home with new academic knowledge and cultural awareness. For these reasons, exchange programmes are valuable for both personal growth and professional preparation."
5. Do you think moving abroad is worth the difficulties?
"To some extent, I agree that moving abroad is worth the effort, because it gives people wider career opportunities and cultural experiences. However, it cannot be denied that paperwork, housing, and homesickness make life abroad very stressful. Yet many people still feel the benefits outweigh the difficulties. In a nutshell, moving abroad is a rewarding but demanding experience."
Learn: as you noticed, each discussion-type question ended with a logical conclusion. To make such conclusions well-structured, we use summarising phrases. Watch the video to learn more.
Let's recapture what you have just learned! There are a couple of phrases that you can use to summarise the ideas presented earlier. These are informal phrases and mainly used to summarise your speech:
To sum up, ... — a short, clear description that gives the main facts or ideas about something
So, ... — it acts as an indicator that what follows is the outcome of a previous statement or argument, similar to words like "therefore," "thus," or "consequently"
In a nutshell, ... — very briefly, giving only the main points
The bottom line is ... — the final result or the most important consideration of a situation, activity, or discussion
For these reasons, ... — a summary phrase that allows us to summarise the arguments, facts, or points that were explained earlier
All in all, ... — considering all the different parts of the situation together
You could use one of the following sentence starters to signal to the reader that you are concluding the essay:
In conclusion, … — is basically a synonym of "finally"
Finally, … — used especially at the beginning of a sentence to introduce the last point or idea
Overall, … — tells the reader that you are not focusing on details anymore, but on the general picture
In summary, … — it tells the reader that the writer is about to briefly restate the main points
Finally, … — used especially at the beginning of a sentence to introduce the last point or idea
Overall, … — tells the reader that you are not focusing on details anymore, but on the general picture
In summary, … — it tells the reader that the writer is about to briefly restate the main points
Atsauce:
English with Emma "CONCLUSIONS – How to finish speaking in English" at youtube.com