Moving Back Home
Thinking of moving back? There are huge numbers of foreigners moving to Greece each year, but there are also nearly the same amount who decide to leave. After spending time living in a foreign country, numerous amounts of expats decide to either move back to their home country or relocate to another country. Often, people feel that living in Greece is simply not for them and so they choose to leave, others have to leave because of financial difficulties and other problems. If you are looking to move to Greece, don't be fooled in to thinking that you will settle in or like the new life straight
away. Just like moving to any new surroundings, it will take time for you to adjust. Whether you are in your home country or abroad, it can be a daunting prospect to have to move house and in to an area where the surroundings and the people are new and unfamiliar to you.
Why do so many people move back or 'fail' in a foreign country?
Some foreigners choose to move back because they can't settle, they feel homesick, miss their families or perhaps don't like living in Greece. Living in Greece is completely different to visiting on holiday. People forget that their holiday destination is not 'real' Greece and often only stop and realise this point after taking the risk and moving. It is important to recognise that moving abroad and learning a new culture is an experience and although some people feel as if they have failed, this is not technically correct. Just like any other decision in life and any other decision that you make in life, you must consider it to be an experience and not a failure. Here are some reasons why so many people leave Greece.
Foreign language
Although it seems an exciting prospect to learn a foreign language, some people find the learning process difficult and not being able to communicate with people can leave people feeling isolated. It is also worth remembering how you would feel when you can't make yourself understood to lawyers, shop assistants or the emergency services. There are many people who understand English in Greece, but that shouldn't be an excuse for not learning the language and should you find yourself in a situation where you need to be able to speak Greek, what will you do?
No work
Most of the expats living in Greece will agree that there is very little work for expats unless you have an excellent understanding of Greek. Seasonal work in bars, hotels and restaurants is quite often available to foreigners, but it is very difficult to find work all year round. The jobs that are available to expats unfortunately are temporary or offer a low salary and doesn't cover their cost of living in Greece.
Financial difficulties
Very few foreigners go to Greece with little or no funds to support themselves whilst they find work. Most of the people who move to Greece either have a pension or a means of supporting themselves. One of the most common ways in which foreigners support themselves financially abroad is by selling or renting out their property at home and living off their savings or the rent. However, as many people find, the cost of living in Greece is not as low as it once was and even with a decent pension or monthly income, it is often too expensive for foreigners to stay in Greece without some sort of extra income.
Health issues
It may be you, a friend or family member who is suffering from bad health and you wish to travel home. Not only is this expensive, but is the reason why so many foreigners decide to pack up and leave, as they feel more comfortable living back in their home country.
Unable to adapt to a different culture
It suits some people and doesn't suit others. Adapting and living in a country that has a different culture to the one that you already know doesn't suit everyone. Some people just simply dislike the new culture and it makes other people feel unsettle and homesick. Common issues that expats begin to dislike are: always hearing a foreign language, not feeling comfortable with living in a foreign country, missing friends, family and things from back home.
Mixed feelings
When people are having doubts about their move to a foreign country, we usually accept that the whole family or a couple feel the same way. But it is actually a common problem that a couple for example, have mixed feelings about living abroad and don't feel the same. Sometimes on or the other will feel very strongly about leaving Greece, where as the other are adament that they want to stay. Most if us don't even consider having this problem when we think about relocating, but it is one of the most common and most difficultest problems to overcome and resolve.
It's not all sun and sea
Due to the fact that Greece is a very popular holiday destination, this makes many tourists want to move and live the dream life in the sun. Although many people put a lot of thought and do a lot research in to moving abroad, others do not. Some people fail to realise that the good climate is not everything and apart from knowing the weather forecast, they actually know very little about Greece itself.
Mislead from the media
If you look through your tv guide, how many tv shows per week are related to living or buying property abroad? Many expats, who have moved back to their home country, blame their return move on misleading tv shows and what they see in the media. After moving abroad and realising it isn't always what it seems, expats say that many of the tv programmes are very misleading. People say that these tv programmes lead people to believe that they can find a dream property in the sun for a very low cost and will also be able to have a very cheap cost of living. Although this mistake can be prevented by visiting the country first to see for yourself, this is common comment from expats who were forced to return to their home country, usually as the result of financial difficulty.