Hi. This is the
husband. I thought it would be interesting giving my side of the story,
specifically the ups and downs of an international job.
Why go international?
I went international
mostly for the adventure. As a college grad I didn’t exactly pursue the most
exhilarating life for myself. But, I always had a taste for a little adventure
and a little travel. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that international
travel and an international post are possible while still taking advantage of
the investment I had put in with my education. You can go international without
throwing away everything you worked for (like joining the Peace Corp or
something).
I went international
when I was single and life was simple. I didn’t have too many pre-conceptions
and was basically taking whatever the assignment would offer. A nice
consequence has been the pay and career advancement. If you can go
international and make it work from both sides (local and home office) then you
have created some value for yourself with your company and in the market.
Another advantage is
my mind is that when you go international you are special. It will be likely
that you will be the only, or at least one of the very few, foreigners in your
office. The rules will be different for you and you can be more of an
individual than staying in your home country. “What … I’m not wearing any shoes
today? Well that’s just how we do it where I come from.” Done and done. You can
be who you want to be.
The secretaries. Internationally
you will get a secretary who’s main goal is to make your life easier. They
protect you from jerks, separate you from people you don’t want to see, and
will generally do whatever it takes to help you accomplish your goals.
Secretaries in the US, if you’re lucky enough to get one, care only about
themselves. Believe me, I’ve had 3 international secretaries now that are 1,000
times better than anything you’ll find in the states.
The women. Well, you
know …
Downisdes
Obviously, going
international means being separated from your family and friends, which is a
downside but the how much of a downside varies widely. For me, it didn’t really
change things that much. I still got to see my relatives over the holidays and
could communicate as much as I wanted via phone, e-mail whatever. Not that much
different than being in the US for me!
But, for some it could
represent a major change and maybe the international life isn’t the best choice
for them.
There is also the
cultural side. Going international can be somewhat of a change if you go to
another country that speaks the same language but has different food, sports,
entertainment, senses of humor etc… Or, going international can be roughly
equivalent to going to a different planet if you go somewhere with a completely
different language, alphabet, racial mix, government system etc…
I chose something
in-between and was actually very surprised how much of my home country’s
culture I was able to retain. Again, I didn’t join the Peace Corp or become a
foreign exchange student – I went international to have an adventure but not
completely redefine myself. Luckily, the technology today allows for a lot of
local culture to be accessed in foreign countries. The #1 for me being
podcasts: I can follow what I want o follow from home and handle traffic at the
same time. They have been great. In addition, I can get a lot of local sports
live via TV thru the internet. It’s another big plus to occasionally be able to
catch a game in your native language, and I even enjoy the local commercials.
It’s a breath of fresh air after living in a different world for most of the
time. I imagine you could also take great advantage of facebook, twitter,
texting and the like as well. I haven’t done much of this personally because I
get enough of the computer at work – the last thing I’m looking for outside of
work is more computer time – with the exception of this blog of course …
But, as an expat you
will miss the coffee machine conversation about the game, latest celeb scandal
or whatever. That’s a definite downside and one of the costs of going
international. If you go international, you need to be able to weather some
loneliness. While I am no exception, I came to realize as well that life moves
on whether you go international or not, and your past is your past. You will
meet new people and gradually move on with your own life either way.
So, I think you can
tell that I am happy with my decision. I view going international and just
another one of several possible paths I could have taken. I met a great wife,
had great kids and do pretty well financially. Can’t complain at all.
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