Learn the Language of Your New Country
One of the biggest obstacles that comes from moving to a new country is the possibility that the people there speak and understand an entirely different language from your own. You will need to learn as much as you can, so you can communicate with people there even on a base level. You may never become fluent in the language, but understanding what people say and being able to read the language will soon become essential. There are two ways that are effective to learning a new language, you either study as much as you can, or totally immerse yourself in the culture. There are advantages to both, and you will probably want to use both techniques to be as close to fluent as you can.
The first thing you should do, is study as much as you can before you move. The internet is a fabulous tool that you can use to learn words and phrases. Furthermore, you can use technology such as DVDs, CDs, and Apps to continue your education. Being able to both hear and read a word is the best technique you can use, so you can learn to read and speak the language at the same time. There are many successful language learning software out there that you can use that is designed to teach someone a new language at a pace that is comfortable.
However, you can also go the more traditional route of buying textbooks and taking classes on how to speak the language. Just like with the language learning software, these classes and books are designed for someone to learn from them. In a classroom, you will have a face to face instructor that will bring you along slowly, and quite possibly is fluent in both your language and the language you are trying to speak. You can ask questions, and not feel like you are embarrassing yourself, all while learning not only words, but sentence structure, verb forms, and common phrases, questions, and answers that you will need once you arrive in your new country.
Immerse Yourself in the Culture
The other way to learn a new language is to fully immerse yourself with native speakers and learn on the spot. The more you hear, the easier it will become to understand. While it might be embarrassing, you can get no better education than putting yourself in a situation where you have to speak the language or you will not be able to communicate. You can do this by going to local hangout spots, watching television and movies in the native language, and trying to speak it as often as possible. Once you think you have a grasp of it, try to talk back in the language. Whether you are having a normal conversation, or even ordering food or drinks, people will probably be patient with you, and correct any mistakes that you make. Most people are receptive to people that make an effort to learn their culture, so do not be afraid to jump right in.
However most importantly, you need to stay positive and keep at it. Understand that it is going to take time before you will be able to communicate successfully, so do not put too much pressure on yourself to learn it as fast as possible. Your positive attitude will also rub off on the people you are talking to, making the whole experience a more enjoyable one.
