DISCOVERING YOUR NEW LIFESTYLE

Retirement calls for a change of outlook, and for some people the transition from a regular work routine to a less structured way of life is not easy. For this reason an increasing number of firms are providing pre-retirement counselling sessions for their staff to enable them to manage the transition effectively. If your life centred on your work you may feel somewhat bereft when the time comes to hang up your boots.

The transition is less abrupt if you have developed interests outside your workplace – as the organiser of a social club, as the leader of a guide troop, as a JP or a local councillor. Many retired people I come across in the UK insist they are more active now than at any time in their lives. However, if you head abroad you turn your back on all this, and will have to build your life completely from scratch.

Forget about the idea of lazing in the sun all day. This may be fine on holiday when you need to unwind from the pressures of everyday life, but people who are used to leading active lives can easily become bored with this kind of existence. The idea of a perpetual holiday with sun, sand and sangria may sound marvellous, but, as I have already mentioned, the novelty can wear off after a time.

Expatriates come in all shapes and sizes. There are loners who prefer to keep themselves to themselves; there are those who wish to live rather as they did in the UK and confine themselves to the expatriate community; there are those who decide to ‘go native’ and distance themselves from all things British. It would be wrong of me to prescribe how you should spend your retirement, but this chapter offers suggestions.

GET TO KNOW THE COUNTRY

When I worked abroad I was surprised to come across expatriates who knew little, if anything, about the country where they were employed. Admittedly there were some among them who were preoccupied with their work, but there were others who had little interest in their surroundings and regarded their stay abroad as a form of exile. They were just waiting for the day their posting would come to an end.

As a retiree you will have plenty of time to get acquainted with your new surroundings. Fortune always favours the bold, and there are three initial steps you need to take to achieve this goal:

• Travel. If you do not have your own transport there are bound to be coach tours, or you can plan your own itinerary by bus or rail with the help of a guide book – such as Fodor, The Blue Guide, Baedeker, Insight or Lonely Planet. Some national tourist offices and local information bureaux issue travel literature free of charge.
• Read. Search out books on the history and traditions of the country and try literary works by local authors. If local bookshops seem to have very little to offer in English, try contacting a bookshop in the UK to see if they offer a mailing service. The Good Book Guide is one organisation which is geared up to sending books abroad. Also investigate local English libraries.
• Watch. Watch films that have been made in the country and tune into the local TV station to see what keeps the locals amused. If the programmes are dreadful regard this as part of your education. Go to the theatre, if there is one in the locality, and attend festivals and other events.

LEARN THE LANGUAGE

In order to be able to participate fully in the life of your adopted country, you need to speak the language of its citizens. This will not prove too onerous if you have moved to Australia or Canada, where there are only differences of vocabulary, but elsewhere you will need to make an effort.

While you may not become perfect in the language, a working knowledge can be very useful, when you are shopping, dining out, dealing with tradesmen or touring. It will prove indispensable in emergencies – if you are hospitalised or involved in an accident.

Above all, knowledge of the language will do wonders for your social life. The barriers will come down and you are more likely to find yourself accepted, simply because it demonstrates your commitment to the country is long term and you are prepared to blend in with the people.

Ideally you should have already made a start on the language, as recommended in Chapter 7. Whatever the general consensus, it is never too late to start learning a language, and in the UK I have met foreign refugees in their sixties and seventies who have made passable attempts to get to grips with our language, so it is not an impossible task. If you are unsure how to set about learning, you might ask members of the local expatriate community for suggestions.

Most towns – in Europe, at least – have language schools, some of which will have special language classes for foreigners. Local newspapers, particularly English language newspapers, will carry details of these. Alternatively you could look round for a private tutor – ideally someone who has experience of teaching languages to adults.

GET TO KNOW THE LOCAL PEOPLE

One difficulty older people face when they move to a new locality is developing social contacts, simply because they have lost the technique of striking up new friendships. You may feel the problem is compounded if there is a language barrier.

However, the solution lies in your hands. Instead of sitting at home in your ‘castle’, you need to go out to restaurants and cafés, which perform the role of meeting places in the same way as neighbourhood pubs do in the UK. There may be clubs that you can join, including senior citizens’ clubs, sports clubs and Rotary clubs.

Local newspapers and information centres are a useful source of information. In many countries there are expatriate organisations which publish directories of clubs and associations at which you would be welcome.

DEVELOP NEW INTERESTS

Retirement should not be seen as the end of one’s existence, but rather the beginning of a new stage in one’s life, where you have considerable freedom to do as you wish. You may have had a wide range of interests back home, not all of which you will be able to continue with.

You may develop an interest in the archaeology, the architecture or the wild life of the area where you now live. You may decide to take up new sporting activities – croquet, golf or bowls. Or perhaps the time has come to put your pen to paper and write a novel ... or your memoirs.

Where there is a substantial expatriate community you may be called on to sing with the local choral society, act with the amateur dramatic group or help out on the local church committee. You normally find that the people who contribute the most are the ones who derive the greatest satisfaction from life.

In the UK I know many retired people who keep their minds alert by embarking on a course of study, but if you are living abroad you may not always find suitable courses on your doorstep. Should this be a problem, you could investigate distance learning possibilities. The Open University, for instance, has a substantial number of students living abroad.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH HOME

Few expatriates want to cut themselves off from their roots entirely when they move abroad. There is always the possibility that one day you will wish to return, and if you do not keep up with events the place may be unrecognisable when the time comes.

You will want to keep in touch with members of your family and your circle of friends back home, and it is here that letter writing comes into its own. Sending a letter costs very little; keeping in touch by phone can work out expensive and as the bills start to roll in you may find it prudent to restrict your international calls to a minimum. If you dislike putting pen to paper, you could communicate by e-mail.

One of the best ways of keeping in touch with events in Britain and throughout the world is to listen in to the BBC World Service. In most locations you will need a radio receiver that picks up short-wave broadcasts – but this does not have to be expensive. Some years ago I purchased a small transistor radio with a shortwave band for £20 in the duty free shop at Heathrow Airport which served me very well abroad – and continues to serve me well in the UK.

The BBC publishes a monthly programme bulletin called On Air which is available from British embassies, consulates and British Council offices or by subscription from the BBC itself. The Engineering Department at Broadcasting House can advise if you have trouble in finding the right shortwave frequency. If you have access to the Internet you will be able to hear programmes broadcast in the UK.

Satellite transmissions have revolutionised television broadcasting, and with the appropriate aerial or dish it is possible to pick up English language transmissions in many parts of the world. The BBC transmits television programmes by satellite to certain areas, notably Asia, and in much of Europe BSkyB, CNN and other English-language channels are available.

Daily and Sunday newspapers from the UK are on sale in many of the larger European cities and resorts, though at higher prices than in Britain itself, and they may well be on sale a day late. However, if you live in a more remote area there is no need to miss out on the news. You could, for example take out a subscription to a weekly journal such as The Guardian Weekly, The Weekly Telegraph or The Economist. There are other monthly and bi-monthly journals aimed at the expatriate market, such as Resident Abroad and Expatriate Today.

If you want to keep in touch with the locality you come from do not overlook regional and county magazines as well as local weekly newspapers which usually operate a mailing service. Bear in mind that a number of local papers – as well as the national dailies – have their own websites that publish the main news stories of the day. You can log on to these via the Internet from virtually any part of the world. Addresses can be found in Benn’s Media Directory, Whitaker’s Almanack or the Writer’s & Artist’s Yearbook (A & C Black). Some people abroad subscribe to the church magazine of the locality where they used to live.

EAT SENSIBLY

We are what we eat, according to one school of thought, so if we want to enjoy good health we need to eat healthy food. On the other hand, nobody wants to pay through the nose for the privilege.

It is therefore sensible to take stock of your diet when you take up residence in a new country, as modifications may be in order. In a warmer clime you may find lighter meals more to your taste, and you may not find all your favourite foods readily available in the local shops. Where they are obtainable they may appear dreadfully expensive.

Rather than import your British eating habits lock, stock and barrel, why not investigate what the locals eat? Around the Mediterranean incidents of heart disease are much lower than in the UK, and the reason often given is that southern Europeans have a healthier diet.

Dieticians recommend that you eat:

• MORE fruit, vegetables, beans, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals, bread, fish, herbs, spices;
• LESS fatty meat, dairy produce, salty food, fried food (though olive oil is relatively healthy because it is unsaturated).

If you suffer from diabetes, allergies or other complaints you will need to follow your doctor’s advice on what types of food you should avoid.

In hot climates particular attention needs to be paid to food hygiene.

Salads are very healthy for you, but the ingredients must be washed thoroughly. Extra care needs to be taken with food storage: fresh food needs to be stored at the proper temperature and if you are plagued with power cuts it makes sense to buy food on a daily basis rather than risk infection.

Finally, a note about drinking. Wine in moderation with a meal is excellent for most people since it aids digestion, an occasional brandy or Scotch does you no harm either, and what better on a stifling day than a glass of cold beer. However, don’t overdo it. However pleasant it may seem to live in an alcoholic haze, it wreaks havoc on your constitution.

One needs to take care with tapwater. In much of Europe, Australasia and North America it is quite safe to drink – as safe as the bottled water you get in restaurants and supermarkets. Elsewhere you may not be quite so lucky. If you have any doubts about the water, boil it.

KEEP FIT AND HEALTHY

If the climate is good you will need little persuading to go out and take exercise, even if it is of the gentlest type. But take care not to overdo things: three-hour long tennis matches at the age of 75 could cause you some injury or strain.

One needs to take good care of one’s health. Wounds and grazes need to be dressed quickly before they become infected; prolonged exposure to the sun should be avoided, and you should use protective creams; if you have an accident or suddenly fall ill, make sure you get medical attention with all due speed.

You will find further tips on keeping healthy in Chapter 5.