9 HARD THINGS THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT LIVING AS A US CITIZEN ABROAD, BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, IT AIN’T ALL “EMILY IN PARIS” VIBES
With the election around the corner and the political decisions in the United States becoming increasingly precarious, we'll probably hear the age-old "I'm moving to Canada" reaction once again. Some people have already done it, and I suspect more have it on their conscience.
I hate to scare anyone away from the gorgeous Canadian soil (it truly is lovely), but as someone who has made the move, it's not as easy as you might think. It's not IMPOSSIBLE, but you can't exactly just cross the border and call yourself a Canadian (sadly).
Let me back up, though, and introduce myself! Hi, I'm Alana, and a few years ago, my partner and I moved to Canada (Montréal, Québec, more specifically). My partner was moving for his PhD, and I joined him on an open work permit (more on that later). Here we are, newly moved in with our bbs:
Now, before I get to the point of this article—which is about the unexpected things that came up for me as an American abroad—if you have the chance, you absolutely SHOULD live abroad. Being around new people, ideas, and customs expands your worldview and makes you a more informed, understanding American. Just make sure you're doing so respectfully.
All that being said, let's get into all the things I ran into that kinda caught me off guard as an American abroad:
Note that everyone's situation is different, especially depending on the country you're in, but this is my own (and my partner's, who helped me collaborate on some ideas!) experience, specifically in Québec, Canada.
1.You still need to file US Taxes.
2.Healthcare isn't really "free."
3.Getting health insurance (or becoming a resident/citizen) might be harder if you have pre-existing health conditions or a disability.
4.You won't have credit history in your new country.
5.You'll constantly compare what is and isn't like the US.
6.Which leads me to this... you should try to speak the language local to the region.
7.Some things will be better than the US... which may make it hard to want to move back.
8. You might be humbled.
Living as immigrants or temporary residents in a new place, we tended to be around other immigrants and temporary residents, whether it was at school, in French class, or in a meetup group (Montréal is extremely diverse). Compared to the US, our friends in Montréal are from all over the world (partially because Canada is the easier country to immigrate to in North America). Both my partner and I have friends who've fled Ukraine or even have family members still within war zones. So, when we complained about the state of the US, our reality kind of got checked. Two things can be true — the state of the US and the unrest elsewhere — but also, as white Americans who grew up in the safety of suburbia, we've been pretty safeguarded (so far) from the political unrest and displacement that our friends in places like Ukraine, Palestine, Egypt, Iran, and Venezuela have and continue to see, which was a humbling check of our privilege.
And lastly....
9.Getting into a new country can be confusing... and challenging.
Phew! Ok, that was a lot of chatter, so that's a wrap from me. While I just spent many minutes talking to you about all the "hard things" I realized as a US citizen living abroad, I don't want this to discourage you! If you're considering or have the opportunity to live somewhere new, absolutely go for it. I am so thankful for my experience, and at the end of the day, all these hard truths were far outweighed by the positive experiences I had living "abroad" (I know, I know, it's Canada) — like immersing myself in a new language, meeting people from all over the world, and falling in love with the best city in the world, Montréal (seriously, it's my favorite, favorite city).