Going abroad is a dream to many Filipinos — more so, migrating to foreign countries might be life’s solution for some. However, little to people’s knowledge is that migrating is a great deal of change too — and like any other change, there is a rigorous process to undergo through.
For instance, many migrants experience several stages when preparing and adjusting for such a big change. Lifestyle, food, and cultural changes are a few to note. Due to this, those who move to a foreign country go through a few phases which might be tricky physically and emotionally.
This is the main reason why Pinoys should know the step-by-step phase of moving in an entirely different world. In all else, migration might feel better if you are aware of the stages of migration:
1. The stimuli that lead individuals to migrate
For every big move, there is a cause. In the case of Pinoys who move abroad, there might be a lot of ‘causes’ why they need to move.
It could be for a career opportunity, a need to change environments, to live with family members, to try for a better quality of life, and several more among a pool of reasons.
Moving abroad isn’t an easy decision, anyway. In every big change, there is a force that makes a Pinoy think — “what if I move away from the Philippines?”.
Once you have the answer, then you will surely move to the next big step: preparation.
2. Preparations to move
The second stage is where rigorous work is needed most — planning and preparing to start a life abroad.
Apart from the preparation of clothes and other personal things you own, there’s a lot of things to prepare, especially paperworks.
Common documents needed to prepare are passports, necessary visas, immigration documents depending on the country you’re migrating to, and employment papers.
When the documents are ready, it’s time to face another preparation phase — the emotional and psychological preparation of moving away from home.
Setting one’s mind to be able to handle the change, meeting with loved ones that will be left behind — they are all part of the preparation process.
3. Departure
Saying final goodbyes and airport drama — this can be a cliché in movies, but this happens in real life. For Pinoys who are connection-loving people, it can be hard to bid goodbye to family and close friends.
It is an emotional feat to be able to go through this phase without shedding a little tear. For Pinoys, departing away from loved ones is surely quite a tearjerker.
4. The transit to a new environment
This phase is mostly psychological and emotional — international flights from the Philippines can take hours. Some take at least 2 hours and more.
Likewise, the transit from one place to another gives the migrant an opportunity to think about home or look forward to their new place — doing so can be stressful.
They can stress about leaving home, or stress about having to adjust in a new environment with new places and new faces.
5. Arrival
A refreshing, full of hope phase. This might look the easiest to go through as everything new might excite you — however, landing the airport, going through immigration, and fetching the things you brought will require you significant physical energy.
Moreover, once you arrive at the place where you’ll be settling down, there will be a lot of things to get to know — might be your new landlady, neighbors, guards, or the additional paperworks needed to be signed for the place.
6. Acclimation to a new location
The first few weeks in your new environment will expose you to great changes — different food accessible to you, different weather, different ways of doing chores, and for some — a completely different language that you might not be familiar with.
It is important to be aware of these things so that you can mentally prepare to be surprised anytime. Anticipate that you might be culture-shocked at any point of the day.
7. Reception of immigrants into the new environment
Once you get used to the new environment, you come to understand the do’s and the don’ts. At this time, you know the tricks of the trade — by then, you have adjusted yourself to the new world you’re in.
Like any changes, acceptance is the best part of the plan. It is where you come to feel comfortable about where you are and you meet people that you can connect with. Once you are at this stage, then you will definitely have it easier from then on.
8. Establishment of a new identity
The fun part comes in, and this is probably one of every migrant’s dream — you are now a new person with a new culture, new circle, and new life! With you well-adjusted to the new environment, you have also come to establish a new identity. When you get to this stage, do not forget to honor your hard work and celebrate a life anew.
In the end, these stages might differ for each Pinoy — some may skip a step, some may experience another step that isn’t common to others. Regardless, every Pinoy has one goal when migrating and that is to find greater opportunities to live a better life.
If one day you encounter that opportunity, remember to be aware of these migration stages and enjoy your best life out there.
