Things I Should Have Known Before Moving to Croatia

Don't ignore learning about a foreign country before you decide to move away from your hometown!

The idea of moving to a foreign country sounds exciting, but you need to read more about the place of interest.

You don't think of how everything else will affect you once you move there.

At the moment it all feels happy and like an adventure.

Time has gone by so fast and I sometimes wonder why so far away from home?

Home is far and where the heart is, but you can make your home wherever you are comfortable.

I didn't know much when I picked up and moved away from South Africa, and am not sorry, I made that decision, but it didn't feel right not knowing of Croatia.

The two weeks spent at a family home was a nice experience. At that time nothing felt permanent. The holiday feelings were full on and I went with the flow daily.

Enjoying each day and the peace of the countryside made me feel happy.

The beautiful views and different environments improved my thoughts in the daily activities that I witnessed.

People were friendly and every day felt as another adventure as from the day before.

The moment we stepped out of that zone of comfort reality sunk in when we had to search for an apartment, and everything just felt difficult.

Most apartments are rented out in the summer and in the winter a few apartments are not in use.

We had a good offer to stay for a week at a local friend's place. Staying with family didn't make the moment feel difficult. Searching for an apartment was easy for the first time in Croatia.

An apartment in Cavtat for a week was a good idea to live close to the pebble beaches, and it was a new adventure again.

If you don't know anyone in a foreign country, then finding an apartment can be a rip-off to have paid full price.

I had no idea where to start not knowing the language. Communication was most difficult as back then, there weren't many people speaking the English language.

I should have learned the language before my move to Croatia. The basic words are easier to grasp if you are in it. To make new friends in a foreign country you need to be open-minded.

To be able to communicate in that foreign language and enjoy the moment. Show your strengths and less of your weaknesses.

You don't have to forget about your life back home keep that in your focus. It is easy to get lonely and feel depressed.

Be patient and develop new friendships. Make time for chats with your family back home. Don't be that snob now that you are in a new country.

I remained the same and have kept in touch with my family and not a snob, I don't want to be arrogant and don't advise anyone to be that way, and learned to be part of a new culture and to meet different people.

Culture brought on a new me in my new experience, it is expensive to live in Croatia something you should know about any country before you decide to pack your bags and leave home.

The economy and job opportunities should be a focus when moving to any foreign country.

How do you adapt to living in a foreign country?

Meet people and be financially secure. Learn about opening your own business. Be able to connect.

Life may not be easy in both countries, but you have a choice and your decisions made show for that.

I immersed myself in a different culture and learned lot about the local people. The learning experience allowed me to be more positive and confident.

Meeting the many different people showed me how important it is to embrace each day. I didn't pay attention to anything but my own life in South Africa. It is normal to be that way.

When you decide to move away that is the hardest part, and to accept another life and to feel as if you have lost your own along the way is another chapter to be re-opened.

Surviving in a foreign country has improved my communication in the Croatian language and this can be in any foreign country.

Learning the language is most important and everything else will work out once you figure out how to communicate.

Place to stay, to become familiar with laws in a new country, where to eat, and to make note of the local restaurants, and to know where to shop.

People leave their hometowns and feel the need to live elsewhere for new job opportunities or better medical care.

I moved to Croatia because of my marriage.

The climate is another issue for moving away from your town.

The cost of living is cheaper elsewhere than in your country. No matter what the reason for your leaving home it is a must to do thorough research of that foreign country.

The things I should have known about before moving to Croatia shocked me and slowed the learning process in the language and in my communication.

The choice I made did affect me for a while I got over that after speaking the language.

It is important to be able to communicate at least the basic words to make it easier to communicate with local people.

Avoid isolation!

• Expressions are different in a foreign country.
• A simple conversation can feel most difficult if you don't know how to communicate in the basic words of a foreign language.
• Learn about taxes, health insurance and about government issues.

Are you safe in a foreign country?

I know I am safe in my haven.

Where to buy your new place and how to work out payment?

Get familiar with the local people and their habits.

What works best for you?

Self-employment or working for a valuable company. Sometimes your finances can run out fast because what you anticipated about the cost of living did not go as planned.

Don't live beyond your means learn the ropes of how to earn and save cash.

It is a great adjustment in a new country. Mistakes are made, but you need to avoid making the same mistakes repeatedly.

Plan and see what works for you.

You shouldn't expect everything to be the same as it is or was at home. In a foreign country you must learn how to plan. Think about the costs of visas.

Temporary residence and thereafter permanent residence

Avoid unnecessary expenses.

I learned how to live in Croatia and don't have a problem with the language. Living far away from home for different reasons is not the same for everyone.

Life goes on and you tend to see that as you get older.

People enjoy what they see and have in a foreign country. I dove in and learned to swim faster than I had expected.

Living in different parts of the world and learning what is good for me each day.

The reality of life is what I tried to do for me and can't change how I came to Croatia. It is up to me to make my life happy and with good people.

Lessons are learned daily.

The disadvantages shouldn't bother you in a foreign country because you have the same back home.

I know I am no longer a stranger in the small community, but I will always be a foreigner.

I heard of positive and negative feedback that didn't make me any less happy. There are all types of people in this world and being a foreigner in my case, does make me special.