Why do we leave our home and come to foreign lands?
Is it just the lure of a few extra bucks or something else? What is the price we pay for the extra bone in our plate? I have been thinking on the subject for a while. Obviously all thoughts start from one's current situations and confusions.
So while I may try and make this general, the confusion is me.
What the ideal time period and age group to work overseas and specially in Middle East & Africa? Should one come with family or single?
To add to my confusion, their were as many views as people I met.
Armed with all the confusion I started to work on the issue in a more analytical way. And I conclude.
Working in a foreign land is not for the light hearted soul.
One should sell his soul and self esteem, before one lands here. There are freedom of sorts, but at the end of the year, the joy of returning home for a month of holiday says it all. We all long for homeland, because we experience freedom there.
Saving is a myth - specially in Middle East (if you want to maintain the same standards as in your home country).
To my horror and surprise, most people I met actually said saving was the biggest reason to work here. I got so many responses in this domain, that I started to look up my spending pattern. What I got was horrifying. I was spending more money as a % of my income to meet the same nature of expenses as compared to home.
Making it simple, the cost of groceries and monthly household supplies comes to 25% of salary, Education 10%, Utilities 10%, Eating Out 10% and so on. The same expenses in % back home is at least 25% less. So what ever I was saving was flowing out in meeting the cost of living difference. To make the situation worse at least 15% of income every year is wasted on emergency air travel to home & back.
So then why do people come here and slog in high temperatures and different cultures.
As my inquiry became intense I got some very interesting answers.
One type of people are who are newly married couples and they do not want to live with the family. So people escape to foreign land on the pretend of job requirement, where as they come here to enjoy freedom from family ties.
Second type of people are ones who have grown up kids, family liabilities are over, and they want to live a slow and semi retired life. High incomes and low expenses balance is what draws them here.
There is a very interesting third type and majority falls in this category. People who will not get a job for even half of what they earn here. People who do not own a motorcycle, get to drive luxury cars here. Its a mega change in living standards and fulfillment of wish lists. These people can generally be seen loaded with vulgar gold bracelets, chains and more rings than fingers.
But what about me?
Well. I like the region and the culture. Life is easy and slow, but this is no reason to live in a foreign land, away from ones family and culture.
So my advice (as if it matters). - One should come to foreign lands, enjoy the place, learn some thing new, understand new business dynamics and cross cultural operations. But don't stick around for the rest of your life. Go back to you home as birds and cows do. Love your country, contribute your life and time to your given land, culture and religion.
Home is where we belong.
