Living abroad alone.....experiences?

April 13, 2017 4:44 AM

I am considering living abroad, not sure where yet, for an extended period.

I want to explore life without the haze of words, so I am thinking a foreign country would work well. I also just want to be alone for a while and yet have resources, (food, medical care should I need it), and yes, people to smile at occasionally. I am just rolling this around at this point. Have you ever done anything like this? Know someone who has?

posted by haikuku to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

I would consider whether you would still want to be alone in case of a medical emergency, or if you want to at least stay within somehow reachable distance of your support network, if you have one. Also, consider the language barrier you'd have with doctors as well, and make sure you know about available English services.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 5:01 AM on April 13, 2017

A Canadian friend of mine lived in Barcelona for three years without making an appreciable effort to learn the language. He was working more or less full time on writing and research projects at home (a rented apartment) and took breaks by getting out and about. While he enjoyed the experience, he eventually tired of his isolation and moved to England, where's he's been living happily for 10 years or so.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:16 AM on April 13, 2017

You could consider a country where fluency in a language you understand is high. For example I am living in Denmark, where English fluency is very common, but I could easily choose to spend my days hearing mostly Danish.

Most of the places I know like this are sizeable cities in European countries though-- so on the expensive side.
posted by nat at 5:40 AM on April 13, 2017

Depends what you call extended... but start with you passport, take a list of all countries in the world, then narrow the list down to the countries where you are entitled to spend more than three months. Once you have that list, look at options for renting a villa on an island somewhere. Take up fishing, scuba diving, or learn the local language. Be happy.

One of my favourite cartoons of all times is a French one about a guy who spends a few months on Ilha Grande in Brazil and has lots of booze and sex. Somehow this has always resonated with me as living the life!
posted by Kwadeng at 6:24 AM on April 13, 2017

I lived in China for 9 years- went not knowing the language, to teach ESL. It's a rather...intrusive place to live, though, if you are just wanting somewhere to be left alone and live comfortably. And you'll never be alone, although in a sense you will be because of language and cultural barriers, esp. at the beginning.You would be pushed out of your comfort zone constantly there, but you can get by not knowing chinese and teaching ESL. If you live in one of the larger Chinese cities, you can get western medical care but you'd have to pay- not sure what your finances are. If you have questions about living in china, feel free to PM me.
posted by bearette at 6:33 AM on April 13, 2017

As a foreign national, your access to healthcare -- both everyday and emergency -- is going to vary dramatically. If that's a priority for you, it's very likely to affect your list of potential destinations, and should be among the first things you research.

There's a lot to read out there about what cultural adjustment can be like. The U.S. State Department provides a very basic primer.

Another State subsite, with information about travel warnings and things you'd need to know as an American (assuming you are) abroad: U.S. Passports and International Travel. (Other countries often have similar info for their nationals.)

If you'd like to read about a lot of experiences in one place, The Wall Street Journal online had a section for expats for a long time. They've since moved to Facebook.
posted by gnomeloaf at 8:17 AM on April 13, 2017

I lived in S. Korea for about 8 years teaching ESL. I'm an introvert so I didn't have any problems being left alone. Medical care is good. Not sure how insurance works if you don't have a job, but with a job it's fantastic. 10 days in the hospital cost me about 700 bucks after insurance. A lot of places have English translations. Groceries are fine. Restaurants can be hit or miss, but some also have pictures. There are also a good variety of western chains. In Seoul, there is Itaewon, which is like the English district. Rent can be reasonable, but you likely have to put down a good chunk in key money. I loved Korea, but being there and not working would be hard.
posted by kathrynm at 9:05 AM on April 13, 2017

Great idea. Work as an English teacher is easy to find.
Health insurance is normally easy to get since it is cheaper everywhere than in the states (should you be American).

Sign up for internations.org and you will make contacts easily to get you started and show you the ropes.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 10:31 AM on April 13, 2017

I have been camped in a tent for 5+ years. I crossed the country to do this, so I am relatively socially isolated, though I shop, etc, daily.

My point is that you do not necessarily need to leave the country to withdraw from society and get time to yourself. You mostly need to arrange your life such that no one feels entitled to impose. This might be facilitated by moving to another country, but it might not. I can remember one AskMe where they had moved out of country and [toxic relative] felt entitled to drop by at will.

So, leave the country might be the obvious answer, but that doesn't guarantee it will get you what you really want. For many people, it is their inner circle that is hardest to wrangle when they want a big change of this type. That problem can sometimes literally follow you anywhere, depending on various factors.
posted by Michele in California at 10:41 AM on April 13, 2017

When I was about 20 years younger and fresh out of grad school, I got a copy of Work Your Way Around the World: The Globetrotter's Bible, which convinced me to sell all my stuff, pack what was left into one carry-on bag and move to London by myself, with the intention of moving on to more exotic places. I signed up for BUNAC, which allowed me to get a temporary job there, and I rented a cheap bedsit on my own. The moving on part didn't really happen, although I did spend quite a bit of time in Sweden and Greece after that. No regrets at all. Best time of my life. The worst part was coming back, and having re-adjust to life in These United States.
posted by Otis at 10:48 AM on April 13, 2017

This was my experience in Japan! So interesting. Bonuses: English is taught in school so in a pinch you can almost always find somebody who can help; even if you learn to speak a little you still can't read and for me that was huge (no ads!).
posted by jrobin276 at 11:40 AM on April 13, 2017

I lived in a village in northern Peru for a while. It was a 45 min ride to the nearest big town. It was very peaceful, and the locals were very welcoming. I got a lot done in my time there. Pm me if you want details!
posted by ananci at 12:24 PM on April 14, 2017

Excellent! Lots of grist for the mill. Thanks everyone.
posted by haikuku at 4:42 AM on April 15, 2017