Emigration is not for wimps
These past 18 years as an expat have been an incredibly interesting journey. As a sociologist, I’ve found the process and pitfalls of fitting-in as a ‘foreigner’ fascinating for all its fits and starts. The adage ‘it’s not what you know but who you know’ holds true everywhere in the world, however in (post) colonial societies/cultures like South Africa (Australia, NZ, and even Canada and the USA), ‘stewardship’ (Pete sent me/recommended you) is even more prevalent. So you obviously leave a lot more than just your family support network behind. As a newcomer, you also need to find an 'in' to a world where interpersonal (business) relationships have been built-up over generations and centuries. The days when you'll be granted credit, credibility, or deference based on your father's reputation are over. Local village One of the most fundamental differences is that if you move from anywhere in South Africa to Western Europe, you are invariably moving from a relat...