Living Abroad: From the Perspective of a Teen

“Bolivia? Is that in Europe?”

Giving geography lessons to my friends in middle school was the last thing I thought I’d be doing once I moved back to the U.S. I enjoyed it though, as it always let me share a little bit about the single best experience of my life.

I will also enjoy sitting here at my desk, (again sharing a little about my experience moving to Bolivia) hopefully convincing some parents to give that same experience to their kids!

Adapting

My parents decided to move from Colorado to Sucre, Bolivia in late 2014. At the time I just turned 8 and my biggest concern was leaving all of my good friends.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep in touch with any of them because nobody had social media yet (this depends on your child’s age, as if they are old enough, keeping in touch through Instagram is fairly easy and a great way to avoid homesickness!).

This leads to a common concern for parents when deciding to move abroad: how will my kids deal socially with the move? Although losing my friends was hard, I had so many new things to explore and do that I never stopped to think of what I had lost. I have learned that friends come and go, and there will always be somebody willing to be your friend wherever you go in the world.

A great way for your kids to integrate into the culture faster and find that somebody is to join clubs or sports. In Bolivia, I joined the robotics club where I gained many friends who I still keep in touch with today. Consider soccer classes, or anything that gets them out of the house and spending time with other kids their age.

Another key component to integrating socially is a common language. If your child cannot communicate with their peers, it will be hard for them to form any meaningful connections. Make sure you sign your child up for language classes if they don’t know the native tongue! It will be hard, but tell your kids to keep one foot in front of the other, as it will get better.

Reaping the rewards

Once you and your children have triumphed over the grueling first couple of months in a new country, take a step back and watch the magic happen. You will see your children soak up the culture through learning the language (if applicable), and making friends.

Watch how they gain a new perspective on everything, from food to philosophy. In Bolivia I ate Llama and tried a juice made from purple corn. I was also able to learn how in South America, people live their lives more carefree and simply than we do in the U.S. These radically different experiences have influenced the making of the person I am today.

Your child will experience so many things! People will love to hear how Llama weirdly tastes like chicken, and how in Bolivia there is a festival seemingly every other day.

Take it from someone who has lived through it, your child will learn and enjoy so much from living abroad!

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