7 Habits of Happy, Healthy Expats

Culture shock is real, and it can confuse even the bravest Pinoy expat. (“You mean hindi sila kumakain ng pork?”) If you learn as much as you can about your host country before you move, you will be ready for all the little shocks that come your way. Read up on customs, common foods, and learn a few useful phrases in the local language. Also, look up local dos and don’ts so you can avoid offending people without meaning to.

No matter how much you prepare, there’s nothing like getting up close and personal with the local culture. Walking around your new city will bring you face-to-face with the everyday lives that your neighbors are living. It’s also the best way to discover hidden gems like yummy restaurants or cute shops.

When you’re new to a place and don’t have many friends, it’s easy to feel lost. Signing up for group activities will bring structure to life outside of work. Sign up for a gym membership, find a local liga or join a sporting group. Not only will you stay active, you’ll meet people with similar interests.

Speaking of meeting people, everyone needs a support group. Because you’re leaving behind your family and beshies, it’s important to build a new network of people who can be there for you—whether it's for a weekend potluck, an ear to vent to when work is stressing you out, or mentors to give advice about your host country. Many cities all over the world have a Filipino community, and that’s a good place to start. What's a Pinoy without a barkada anyway?

While there’s nothing like other Pinoys to help you feel at home, it’s enriching to really immerse yourself in the local scene. Make an effort to build friendships with local people and learn as much of the local language as you can. Try to find and experience authentic local cuisine. It’s hard to feel homesick when you’re enjoying what’s wonderful about where you are.

Every country is different, and your host country will have many things to do and see that you never dreamed of back home. You might as well take advantage. Go sightseeing in nearby cities on the weekends and take up hobbies that aren’t offered in the Philippines. Load up on lots of kwento for when you go home.

While you should definitely enjoy life in your host country, keep in mind why you’re there in the first place. It’s tempting to live like you’re on vacation when you’re earning dollars, but the cost of living abroad is often higher than in the Philippines. People who don’t plan can see their hard work go down the drain with unwise decisions.

Set up a good system for putting money aside from the get-go to protect your earnings and set you up for future success. One plan can be to save up enough money to secure your family’s expenses for a certain number of years by the time you return. The Philippine Statistics Authority found that the average family in 2015 spent Php215,000 in one year. Once you adjust for how average you think your family is, set your desired number of years and allow for inflation by the time you will spend this money, you can have a fixed goal to work toward. Investment funds and savings plans can help you reach that goal.

With hard work and discipline, you may even be able to save up enough to get home to your loved ones sooner than you thought.