Once you’ve landed in a new country, it seems like there are endless new things to learn: the language, customs, social norms, laws, money management in more than one country, and a lot more. But, one of the most difficult things to learn as a migrant is the culture of a new country. If you want to succeed in a new country and feel like you belong there, it’s worth putting in the effort to assimilate as best as you can. Here are a few ways assimilation can help you in a new culture.
Helps you Understand and Appreciate Another Culture
When you move somewhere foreign to you, it can be a shock to see how the locals live. Everything from the fashion to the food and even the media they’re used to might be completely different than what you’re used to. Assimilating into a new society will help you understand and appreciate those cultural trends.
For example, if you’re working in Germany as a foreigner, you might not understand the beer culture there, but assimilating into the local society there will help you learn why it’s historically relevant. Still, that doesn’t mean you need to participate in all cultural trends, but understanding them helps you appreciate culture and get over your fear or hesitation of something different.
Allows you to Interact with Locals
As a migrant, you’ll likely find you fit in best with other expats or people that come from the same region as you. However, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not assimilating since learning and adopting certain norms from another culture will help you interact with the locals.
This transition can be gradual and it doesn’t mean you need to give up on your identity, but interacting with locals is important since they can help you fit in in a new country. Especially when it comes to the bureaucratic work like finding new schools, identifying good doctors in the area, understanding where to shop for basics, or help with anything else you need to learn.
Assimilation Helps you Find Work
Often, migrants find they aren’t able to find jobs in the fields they worked in back home. Due to things like the language barrier or even degrees or certificates from abroad not being accepted, getting hired in a job you’d like to do can seem impossible.
When you work on assimilating, you’ll need to learn the language and become part of the local culture, which are all traits that will help you land the job you want. It will be easier for you to apply for a job, interview, and fill in any local requirements or transfer your degree for a job you want. Not only that, but when you start interacting more with the locals, you can build trustworthy connections that might help you find good work.
Your Children Will Be a Part of the Community
Many migrants find it difficult to assimilate into a new culture. They never get over the language barrier or cultural differences. But, not trying to assimilate can be problematic for your children if you want to stay in a new country long-term.
Children will learn their native culture and language from their parents, but they’ll have an easier time in school and with other local kids if their parents have exposed them to a new culture from youth. After all, when seeking a better life and improved financial opportunities in a new country, you want to see your children succeed too, and a key part of that is making sure they fit in with the communities they grow up in.
