The Repat Diaries
Build Your Village Before You Move
In
order for your repatriation journey to have a high success rate, you need to
have like-minded people around you to talk to and to help you. There are several
ways we have attracted these types of people into our life. We are currently building
a solid circle filled with people who keep us motivated and encouraged.
Majority of the people in our circle are based in our country of choice and
will provide us with assistance once we arrive. We did a lot of research online
to look for information on moving abroad and connecting with others who have
already moved abroad. Our research yielded very few results but the few we came
across have been amazingly helpful.
· Internations - We found this website to be very helpful in connecting with others already
living abroad is Internations. As
the largest international community for people who live and work abroad, InterNations offers global networking opportunities, local events and
expat-relevant information. At around 3,500 monthly events and activities,
expats get to meet fellow internationals in their city, or connect before they
relocate to their new city. We connected with one of our Ghanaian brothers through this site. When we went to Ghana for our first trip we met him there
and he literally rolled out the red carpet for us. He also introduced us to his
family who are awaiting our return. Another added benefit is that he is teaching us one of the local languages and this will definitely come in handy when we get there. We have been building upon our relationship
ever since we met and its been absolutely wonderful.
· Facebook- Facebook
groups are also a great way to connect with like-minded people. There are several repatriation
groups we are a part of and have met amazing people in these groups that
have provided us with priceless information. “The Repatriation Project Group/Chat
and Repatriating to Africa” are two of the groups we are in and have found to
be very helpful. These groups are filled with those who have already repatriated,
those in the process of repatriating, and those thinking about repatriation. These
groups have been established to share ideas, and create a specific action plan
for repatriation. Through the groups we have networked and gained valuable information
such as insight on customs and cultures, cost of living, business ideas, what
to avoid, information on several different African countries, and even
immigration policies.
Using
these methods have aided us in our preparation for our move and have eased some
of the stress that comes from making such a big move. We have people searching
for housing for us, providing us with banking information, discussing group economics
to figure out ways to generate income collectively, and we have even found a home-school co-op to help us with our homeschooling efforts once we get settled.
We are going into an already established support system instead of making this
move alone because we used these platforms. If you have decided to make the big move, we recommend using every available
resource to build your very own village.
This is a very important step before moving. I think the process for me would have been so much harder without an established network. Excellent article Myra!
ReplyDeleteYou know we always talk about this. It can either make or break you!
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