The experience of moving to a new country

So, I am from the sunny climes of Somerset, England…

Okay, fair enough, I’ll try that again, I am from the occasionally sunny, mainly damp, British Isles. My partner, Louise, and I were offered the chance to live and work in Greece. We thought about it, for a day maybe, and then decided “why not?”.

It was a multifaceted decision, we both had our reasons, many of them the same. I have always wanted to learn another language, and have previously found this hard to do whilst living in the UK (took classes in Spanish, French, and Italian). I had already decided learning a new language was probably beyond me without actually living in a country where it is spoken. A lot of my work life in England was spent working outdoors, and after a while I was finding the cold and the wet more of a struggle.

This option seemed to me to offer a lot of the things we wanted, a much better climate, a bit more time (less work hours required in the new jobs), close to the coast to go sea swimming, and of course, a proper environment to learn a second language!

The actual reality of getting here was vastly more complicated than the decision. In a post-Brexit Britain, living and working in Europe is now all but impossible for many jobs. We eventually figured out a way, which involved having to start our own company as grounds for our Type D visa (an intention to emigrate), and fingers crossed, eventually our residence permit (still waiting at the time of writing).

All in all, the process took almost 18 months until, finally, in December 2022, we arrived in Athens airport, and made our way down to our final destination, close to Agios Nikolaos, in the Peloponnese peninsula.

When we left Bristol Airport, it was the first snow of the year, and we arrived in Greece to a balmy 20 degrees Celsius, very nice. After a taxi to the bus station, a 3 hour bus to Kalamata, and a second bus in the dark to Agios Nikolaos, we had finally arrived.

Although it is possible to get by in Greece without speaking Greece, I feel the sooner I can learn the better. It can be a little isolating, and confusing at times, especially not really knowing anyone here.

I did start learning before we came over, initially using DuoLingo, podcasts, and Clozemaster, so I had some vocabulary already, but it’s certainly harder in real life, for me at least. It is one thing to speak in another language, but it’s another to understand the reply.

My experience of Greece so far is great, the area we live in is stunning, and very green this time of year. The winter came, and went, and by English standards, hardly seemed to last at all.

We live by the coast so tourism plays a big part and off-season many shops and restaurants are closed. We have settled for at least the next year in delightful Kardamyli, and this time of year there are only 400 people living here.

We hope to have our residence permits granted in the coming months, as the waiting, and not truly knowing yet if we can stay, is a little nerve-wracking. It is always present in the backs of our minds.

We should hopefully be finishing a purchase of a used car on Thursday, which is a fairly complex experience for a non-native. Fingers crossed we will be the owners of a little 1999 Citroen Saxo, by the end of the week. Used cars are significantly more expensive here than the UK, but it will be great to have our own. We been relying on hire cars so far, which is great value in winter, but the prices will double or triple in the not too distant future.

One of the many, very cute, feral cats

I am excited to see what the future will bring, our current work gives me more personal time, so I can focus on writing, trading, and some of my other loves in life. I hope we get our initial residence permit soon, that will enable me to feel a little more relaxed. Over time it would be good to make some local friends, I don’t feel lonely as such, but I think it would be good to feel more like a part of the community. I’m sure these parts will happen in their own time, I’m a little socially anxious, which doesn’t help!

I would like to hear others experience of starting over in a new country, how they felt, how they coped, challenges they found. Any language learning tips would be greatly appreciated, I’m getting there bit by bit, but still need to build my confidence to speak more Greek.

I am spending more time writing, and hope to help share some of the skills I have learnt in trading, computing and mushroom growing along the way. I'm hoping others will reach out and share your own experiences, connections are always good.