So your all excited your moving to a new country . You found your love. Then what truly happens ?
Everything is new and exciting. Your faced with a new set of challenges and opportunities. Your mind and heart races with great expectations and ideas. Of how you envision things will be.
That's a wonderful dream ! But it's not reality. Reality is a whole new world has opened up to you. Mentally picture yourself in your own country. Then suddenly you become blind and deaf!
How would that affect your life ? All the sights and sounds your used to are now gone. So you must reprogram yourself to adapt to every situation in your world.
All the little things you loved are vague memories in your mind. You have to reprogram your senses and mentality.
All those things you enjoyed will be altered. You have to feel for everything . You have to communicate harder and more effectively than ever before.
You become totally reliant on others and your forced to accept change. Your friends never come around after a while . So now your forced to make new ones. You have to be a lot more cautious than ever before. Your daily tasks you did effortlessly now are hurdles to over come.
Everything is similar but yet different. Walking some where was effortlessly for you. You never had to apply any thought to it.
Your holidays you celebrate seem extremely different now. Your job you had and the success you had gone instantly. You have to retrain yourself and work something all together new and less rewarding for you. The income you received is considerably lower. But you still continue on in life. Slowly moving forward and improving in life.
You discover a new inner strength and courage in yourself. All that you valued in the past, dreamt about in the future is gone.
All the basic things you took for granted are now gone.
That's how you have to think about moving to a new country.
Most immigrants most common mistake is they try and force their culture and traditions into their new country. I'm not saying their culture, or traditions are bad. Often they are extremely good.
But as societies do not allows follow the same pattern as your past life.
Like Christmas in the US is celebrated Dec. 24/25 . Where in Ukraine it's Jan 6/7. So most of the US is done with Christmas. Ukraine celebrates Saint Nicks day Dec 19th. Many places do not.
New Years Eve is a huge celebration in Eastern Europe . The west it's about celebrating it with family. Doing the family things. When a Ukrainian celebrates Victory Day the US does not. For the war was over then for Europe. But Americans where still fighting in World War 2 way past that day against the Japanese. American soldiers were ordered in Europe not to celebrate because the war was not over for the US. And we have not achieved Victory yet. Out of respect to those soldiers who were still fighting and dying in the Pacific. So the US celebrates Memorial Day instead.
Also when moving to another country. Dress codes and styles are always completely different. Same with transportation is completely different.
In the US most people are forced to drive for everything. Our average grocery store is 10kms away, public transportation is available in larger cities. But it's considered dirty, expensive, and not that safe. What about taxis ? They can be very expensive. It's less expensive to live out of a city. Drive a car. Than use public transportation.
Health care in different countries is a huge shock. Even in European countries!
In some European countries the man of the family has to come with. Even for his wife to take a child in to a doctor. The family must prove they have insurance and ability to pay prior to treatment or seeing a doctor. Yes American health care is not cheap. But insurance can be obtain through national health care or through your employer. No one can be denied health care or treatment in America. America's health care is considered the most advanced in the world. People from other countries come to America all the time for it. World leaders, kings and queens, to a person put on a long waiting list in their country.
Cooking ideology is great in theory but most of the foods you find in Ukraine no longer exist or are easily obtainable in America. Most of the foods you eat and love in Ukraine are similar to the foods most Grand parents ate when they were children here in America. I'm not implying they are bad in anyway! They are hard to obtain to cook those type of Ukrainian tasty dishes.
Every plan you have will be slightly altered in some facet. In any country you will relocate to.
So the best way to adjust to any place. Is first to leave your culture and traditions at home. Adjust to the new culture and traditions first. Then from there you will be able to adapt your most loved culture and traditions into your life. So much easier and not be so frustrated trying.
Like the old saying: in Rome do as the Romans. It will make for a less stressful transition into any country you move to.
The best plan is not to have set plans. Just adapt slowly into your new surroundings. What I've noticed with every immigrant who moved here. Every detail planned they had or idea. Was dropped in time. Because they found something better for them. Don't put limitations on yourself ! What you love in your home country. Doesn't mean you will love it in another.
Keep a open mind, dream and think out of the box. I've seen medical professionals go from being a doctor in their home country. To doing factory, opening up a business, or a completely different business venue. That was so much easier and successful for them. With less stress.
The Golden Rule is communication to your spouse! Speak up ! A husband wants a happy wife, just like a wife wants a happy husband . Which makes a happy family!