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It’s been just under 3 years that we moved to Canada, and I thought it’s the right time to share my experiences and learnings on the way.

Uplifting your life and moving to somewhere completely new is very unnerving. I still remember the rush of the unknown and excitement for the new that I felt when I boarded my flight to Canada on Jan 4, 2018.

Throughout these 2+ years, I have learned a thing or two about smoothly transitioning into the new culture, time zone, language and environment. I am capturing them into preparing, learning and sharing.

1. Preparing: Like any new project or assignment, preparation and planning is the key when you decide to pack up and move to the other side of the world. Yes, you will settle in with time but having a basic understanding of cultural nuances, weather, cost of living, ethnic diversity and types of professional options available will go the long way for the first couple of years. What helped me the most was talking to someone who moved recently and understand how much Indian spices do I need to bring or can I buy them easily at a local store. For me food is the way to keep me linked to my roots, so that is something I had to know. At least that's what I thought.

2. Learning: While it takes years to immerse into the new ways and find that sweet spot where you can be you and still be part of the new country's culture, there are actions you can proactively take to smoothen the settling-in process. Three things that helped me to get started was to have an open mind, find opportunities to ask questions and try new things. In my first couple of years, I have ensured to ask about the jokes I didn't get, references that didn't make sense to me and cultural notions that I had built up by watching western television shows. Asking questions is a great way to show interest and learn. I also took part in sports like curling, ice hockey, and attend cultural fests, to meet new people and learn about them.

3. Sharing: While learning helps to slowly transition in to the new place, sharing takes you further to build those initial relationships. Share your experiences, culture, values and behavior. I remember I talked about the Bollywood music, Indian stereotypes and how Indian culture is all about respect. I noticed that the more I shared the easier it was for my friends and colleagues to see things from my perspective and they became more and more curious.