Have You Ever Lived Abroad?

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Improve your ability to talk about living abroad.

Exercise 1

Warm-up

Have a short conversation based on these questions. Make sure you ask your tutor some questions too!

How many countries have you been to?

Which of the places you've been to could you see yourself living in?

Exercise 2

Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these phrases with your tutor.

feel homesick
overcome the language barrier
adapt to cultural differences
deal with loneliness
struggle to make friends
feel like an outsider

Let's Practice

Fill in the blanks using the items on the list to complete these sentences.

He easily overseas because he's an introvert.

wasn't a problem for me because I studied Portuguese in school.

I during my first few years in France but now I feel at home.

is a big challenge for Americans moving to Japan.

I when I first moved here by staying busy.

I after just a couple of weeks in Spain!

Exercise 3

Useful Language

Listen and repeat these words and phrases with your tutor.

expat
resident
citizen
permanent
climate
cost of living
standard of living
work permit

Let's Practice

Tell your tutor which definition matches each word or phrase.

expat

A.
someone who works for a foreign company
B.
someone who lives in a foreign country

resident

A.
someone who lives somewhere permanently
B.
someone who has lived abroad

citizen

A.
an official member of an organization
B.
a legal member of a country

permanent

A.
expanding
B.
lasting for all time

climate

A.
the general mood of an area
B.
the general weather conditions of an area

cost of living

A.
the amount of money required for basic needs
B.
the money that a person earns from their job

standard of living

A.
the quality of a person's home
B.
the degree of wealth and comfort a person has

work permit

A.
a document that allows a company to operate
B.
a document giving a foreigner permission to work

Exercise 4

Dialogue

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor, then answer the questions.

	Kyoko Adachi Have you ever lived abroad?
	Peter Yes, about 20 years ago I moved to Singapore on a work permit and eventually became a permanent resident.
	Kyoko Adachi What was it like?
	Peter It was a great experience. I studied Chinese in college, so I didn't really have to overcome any language barrier. The only problem was the high cost of living, but the standard of living is very high.
	Kyoko Adachi I see. I've never lived abroad, but I've always wanted to.
	Peter What countries would you like to live in?
	Kyoko Adachi Canada would probably be my first choice. It sounds like there are a lot of job opportunities in my industry. I'm not sure I'd like the cold climate, though! What about you?
	Peter There's a lot of European countries I could see myself living in, like France or Portugal. Do any of your friends or family live overseas?
	Kyoko Adachi Yeah, one of my cousins lives in Spain. He went there for college and ended up staying. What do you think is the hardest thing about moving overseas?
	Peter Well, I think adapting to cultural differences is always a challenge. For me, dealing with loneliness was the hardest part, especially in the first two or three years.
	Kyoko Adachi Oh really?
	Peter Yeah, I struggled to make friends at first and got quite really homesick.

Check Your Understanding

Why didn't Peter struggle with the language barrier in Singapore?

Why would Kyoko consider living in Canada?

What did Peter struggle with when he first moved to Singapore?

Exercise 5

Find the Mistake

Find and correct the mistake in each sentence. Be careful — not all sentences have a mistake!

Have you ever lived in abroad?

What countries would you like to live in?

One of my aunts live in Thailand now.

I know some expats who have become permanent residents here.

I sometimes felt like an outsider.

What do you think has the hardest thing about moving overseas?

I didn't think I would feel like homesick.

Adapting to cultural differences were difficult for me.

Exercise 6

Fill in the Blanks

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor and fill in the blanks. You will be Zach. Use the Answer Pool below to help you.

	Hyun-woo Have you ever lived abroad?
	Zach No, but a lot of my friends are (1). How about you?
	Hyun-woo I lived in Japan for two years as a student.
	Zach Oh really? Did you like it?
	Hyun-woo Yeah, I felt like a bit of an outsider at first, but it was an amazing experience overall. What countries would you like to live in?
	Zach I've always dreamed of (2) in Italy. Its history is so rich, and the (3) is perfect. It's not too hard to get a working (4) for people from my country, either. How about you?
	Hyun-woo I've actually considered moving to Sweden for its high standard of living and excellent healthcare system. Do any of your friends or family live overseas?
	Zach Not now, but my (5) worked in Argentina for a while a few years ago. She actually (6) her husband there. How about you?
	Hyun-woo Yep, my sister also moved to Japan as a student and is now a permanent resident. What do you think is the hardest thing about moving overseas?
	Zach Well, it seems like everyone (7) homesickness. Adapting to cultural (8) probably isn't always easy.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 8

Answer Pool (Questions 1-8)

expats
experiences
visa
living
cousin
met
differences
climate

Exercise 7

Conversation

Have a conversation based on these questions. Don't forget to ask your tutor some questions too!

Have you ever lived abroad?

What countries would you like to live in?

Do any of your friends or family live overseas?

What do you think is the hardest thing about moving overseas?