Living abroad is a great opportunity for people who are seeking to gain a lot of useful experiences and valuable knowledge. Nevertheless, living in a foreign country can be exhilarating, but also a daunting experience. During this period of time, these will not be ordinary days, but new experiences and memorable days. There will be ups and downs, smiles and frowns, but in the end, it will be a remarkable experience that will never be forgotten. This essay aims to mention my personal experiences of living abroad, the advantages, the disadvantages, as well as my overall outlook towards living abroad as a foreigner.
The first advantage of living abroad is being able to learn another language. As I have been living abroad in the country Turkey for the past two years now, I was able to learn the Turkish language. Thus saying so, it is scientifically proven that bilingualism does delay Alzheimer's disease in people who are likely to obtain this disease. Knowing a second language can be very beneficial for one's career, for example; a person whom is or is wanting to work in a company that works internationally, such as Honda Motor Co., Ltd. In addition, living in a foreign country allows others to get to know a different culture, thus giving them a new perspective towards life. .
Aside from the advantages, there are some disadvantages of living abroad. Firstly, not knowing the spoken language of the country can be a big issue. For example, I had a lot of troubles with getting around, registering for school, opening up a bank account, getting ripped off and trying to ask for directions when lost. Not to mention, living in a foreign country can cause culture shock, which determines whether one has a positive experience abroad or not. For example, the way animals are treated in Turkey. In comparison to Americans, most Turkish people do not value cats and dogs as we do. There are many starving stray dogs and cats living on the streets and this can cause shock for an American at first.
