Life around the world

Thursday, 9 November, 2017 - 09:24

Can your smartphone make moving easier?

by MollyBlogger2017

Moving to a new place – in my case, a new country – is always daunting. However, make the most of the resource right at your fingertips: your mobile phone.

Like many millennials, my smartphone is never out of reach. Whether waiting for the next ‘like’ on Instagram or checking a friend’s latest tweets, I’m glued to social media. While this habit can be seen as a waste of time, I underestimated how useful it would be when settling into a new country.

I discovered that Facebook is a great way to find out what’s going on if you’re new to an area. Local organisations, societies and even bars regularly keep their pages updated with events – ideal for newcomers looking to make friends and explore their new surroundings. For example, my friend and I regularly attend a ‘language exchange’ evening at a local bar, which we learned about via Facebook. It’s a fun way to practise our French!

I joined online groups for people in the same situation (for me, this was local British Council assistants). This helped me meet new people with similar interests and ask for advice. For example, when struggling with (famously complicated) French bureaucracy, it’s reassuring to hear that others have the same experiences. However, always follow safety guidelines if you meet people you’ve met online in real life.

Technology is also useful for learning languages. For example, try switching your phone’s language setting, and certain phrases become second nature. Apps like Duolingo are handy for revising grammar, and never underestimate the power of YouTube in learning a new language. By watching videos and vlogs, I’ve picked up plenty of new expressions (especially casual phrases that I’m unlikely to come across in school).

Social media is fantastic for keeping in touch with friends and family back home. For example, Skype calls are perfect for keeping homesickness at bay. However, be careful not to spend too long gazing at your friends’ tweets and Instagram posts. It’s really easy to get wrapped up in missing home and feel left out, rather than making the most of your new surroundings.

So, while it might seem that staring at a mobile phone screen is antisocial, it helped me to make the most of moving abroad.

Language level
C1 Advanced
Topics
living abroad
the internet
social media
language learning
Discussion

Do you think you’d use your smartphone in the same ways as Molly if you moved to a new place?

Submitted by AlejandraArias on Fri, 08/02/2019 - 02:15

The cellphone for me is very useful, it helps you to do your activities easier and faster, I think that is a great help if you go to other country.

Submitted by ELBENJU12 on Wed, 07/31/2019 - 02:42

if it is used in an appropiate way , the cellphone should be a very useful tool in order to improve your social skills specially living abroad becouse it open you a world of tools to make your stay nicer!!

Submitted by 17771 on Wed, 07/31/2019 - 01:35

yes i think so , because if I'm going to move to an unknown place for me I have to start from scratch ,knowing what´s near to me, the people that live near to me, my neighborhood and the most important thing is to be chatting with my parents and people away from me

Submitted by Sant on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

YES, i can't even imagine how people did live abroad before without using a smatphone; with the internet, are fantastic tools to explore the world and to make you life a little bit easier. And i now if i leave my country, i'll need it a lot to survive and to learn S H Ortiz 11A

Submitted by Kiara16 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

Yes, the smartphone is a good way to have contac with a lot of people, not only your family, also you can use it to comunicate to new groups and friends. You can find advertisments about meetings on the comunity were you are living and, there it is possible to learn about the culture and lifestyle. Definetly tecnology is a way to know more abaut some specifit places, it will help you to develop on a best way while you are living abroad.

Submitted by fenixcacs on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

Yes I think so, because the mobile is so important for me and and have de experience with my uncle how is living in Canada, I talk a lot with him every 2 days. I hope the next yer start studying in Australia and it is the perfect country to start using this technology, becaus this country improve every day.

Submitted by Hanna3 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

well, thecnology is great for people to use like a tool and i think it would be very helpfully for knowing new places whe you havent been before and for many other things, but when you use it in a bad way it transform itno a dangerous thing

Submitted by DanixO on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

Yes, I think it would be the best tool to help me communicate and locate in a new country. In the internet you can search for a place and with a cellphone it will be easier to find it and learn about the place I am. Also as Molly said, the apps that the cellphones have would help to learn a better grammar and pronunciation. As I will be far from home , with different apps like Skype i will be able to reach my familiars even though they are far from where I am. The decision depends of each person, because if you use in a wrong way the social media that will affect you, or conversely in a good way to help you abroad.

Submitted by Enanito on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

Yes, because the technology is the better way now to meet new people, move to a new place and everybody use it. But we need to make like reflections about the use of a smart phone and get it a better use.

Submitted by pez on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:31

yes, it is a great way to be part of the society and be connected with all that is happenig in the place you are moving or at home, wherever. it's easy to use and everybody know how to use, and i think it´s very useful.

Submitted by varg711 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:30

of course, i used the smarthphone all the time to meet new places, to talk with my family and friends. It´s not a secret that the internet and social media help all the people to search new places, activities and many things that help them to the things that need.

Submitted by Aguela3 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:30

Probably yes, i will use it more often, so in that way i would be able to use it as a pracctical tool for my to do the life in another country easyer, Also i would use it to know about my hmone, for comuniccation with my relatives and to know what is going on in my country in all the possible scopes

Submitted by ScarletCone on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:30

Yes ,of course.I will use internet when I move a new place, because in thius time is some more easier to find something in the internet like different places, and it some more safe

Submitted by elpaspilol on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:30

Of course, our smartphones are now a really great tool for us, it can help us with everything and if I move abroad I would need my phone to find me some interesting places, restaurants, friends. Nowadays our phones have in all our lives, it's indispensable so If we use them properly, they can help us a lot.

Submitted by vaa192002 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:29

Yes, our smartphones help us to meet with new people, look for new places and if you are in another country it would be very helpfully for not to get lost in a city that is new for you.
Profile picture for user CharaDraemurr

Submitted by CharaDraemurr on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:29

Well The phone is useful for virtually everything. You do not need a phone to access Facebook. And the benefits of using it, according to the text, are dependant of the addiction level of the user. But I can't unsee the benefits from using it to learn a new language. Nevertheless, I like using it for those purposes.

Submitted by pimientanegra on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:29

yes, because Molly use the phone for many prupouses such as discover new places and in another cases use it for self learning or been with another person in her condition to do things with the partner

Submitted by Nat_IMP on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:29

Yes, I think that the information that technology about what is happening in the surroundings or where is a place is very helpful, specially when you don´t know anything of the area. Also I can learn a lot of things and improve my knowledge through apps or other gadgets.

Submitted by agentek2002 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:27

Yes, we think that a cellphone is really useful because we can find new friends and learn more about the country, like the typical food or importants restaurants, historical places, and that type of things. And is useful to learn a new language, you can understand and use apps to improve your skills.

Submitted by gabs18 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:27

of course, i think that nowadays the smartphones are a big opportunity to increase a lot of things, and we have to approach all of them, most if we're in a different country with a language that we dont know.

Submitted by gabs18 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:27

of course, i think that nowadays the smartphones are a big opportunity to increase a lot of things, and we have to approach all of them, most if we're in a different country with a language that we dont know.

Submitted by kevin99 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:26

yes, I think that our smartphone makes our lives easier because this gadget let us search for every information or everything that we want, but we must learn to use our smartphone in a responsible way because we don't know what kind of dangers we will find in the internet so we have to take care but the cellphone is a very useful gadget which can help us moving easier

Submitted by nanai on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:25

Of course! Internet is full of things and it makes possible even more. I´ll mostly use it to communicate with my parents and keeping in touch with my friends but also for meeting people, finding activities near the place I´m staying and for college stuff

Submitted by 0lemac on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:21

i think that if i moved to another country, i will use my phone likey molly, but i only focus in instagram and whatsapp, why?, Because that´s the only two social media that i need to be in contact with my friends and get the info about what´s going on in their lives, also i think that i will spend tons of hours calling them to know about if they are happy or if they need support of my :)

Submitted by Sachi1403 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 17:20

Yes, because the phones had became into a great tool for everything, for example I would search for an hotel or somewhere I can eat in a few seconds. It will be very easier than doing it without phone

Submitted by r12345na on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:32

yes I would. I think the smartphone is an useful tool to have a nicer experience in a new country. i would make new friends through facebook, or other social media and be able to move in the city with the GPS help.

Submitted by ASABS on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:31

well i use it to communicate a lot with my family and firends, I use skype and whatsapp a lot for that bit i haven't try it to use it with an app like duolingo or something like that. maybe I would try it , buit I think that the cellphone is a good tool, it helps me a lot with everything, it make my life easy

Submitted by Luisa_Maria on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:30

i think it wolud be in that situation, i use my phone to set in another country for talk to my family sometimes or know people to attend social events and make friends. And the most importand is learn the language for any activity, so as not to have problems while somewhere.

Submitted by MRV1 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:30

If I agree with what Molly says, since the cell phone gives us many possibilities, it facilitates many things, and it is not even necessary to interact face-to-face with people, you can talk on networks, you can ask for what you need for some applications If one gets lost, we can look at google maps and this would take one to the final destination, one can learn about the culture in internet and the language in apps like duolingo .

Submitted by Karolg on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:30

yes, i think that the pepople are denpending completly to the smartphone, because this spectacular tool can do many things, for example can traslate many ideas that you dont to express in the language that you need in a specific moment, can communicate ideas from many parts of the world. you can make new friends and many things that you use every moment every day. and obviously the possiblity to connect with other people or talk with others in differents parts of the world.

Submitted by jdmp on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:30

When I am in a new country as a tourist, I rarely use my phone, because, for me, it isn't necessary. Sometimes, I use Google translate when I don't understand what other people is saying me, or the phone when I want to call my family. Cellphones for me are very usefull, if you use them correctly. If I studied abroad, I think I would have to make a restriction for the use of my cellphone, because, if I don't do it, I usually finish 2 horus per day in social media when I can do a lot of other activities. Now, I am using youtube to learn a little bit of French, and it have been helped me a lot.

Submitted by ElSierrab on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:29

Maybe in some cases, because I use the cellphone for most of the things she said, but, I don´t use it for all thing. I only use a cellphone for social networks, for play, for youtube and sometimes for search things that I must have to know. Possibly since today, I will start to use it for more many things, as Molly used it

Submitted by jay1601 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:29

yes i will use it like molly, i think that the use of the cellphone is very important when you are moving to another place, cos you can comunicate with the people easlly and if you move to anothe country it will be very usefull if you need to translate the language or if you need the map to go to a place that you dont know or for somethings like that, for that reason i would use the cellphone like molly

Submitted by shakercross6524 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:28

You have understood pretty well the importance of taking advantage of the tools that are available for us to use. That's why I think that when living abroad you ought to enhance your technological abilities, in order to take the most of every resource you may have. And also, the way you wrote this blog allows us to understand that there's not a real issue in acting as if you were a loner, because you write taking into account the real issues of a person who isn't living in it's own country.

Submitted by lars1224 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:27

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THAT IS A VERY GOOD WAY TO MAKE USE OF THE TECHNOLOGY, WHAT MOST AFRAID PEOPLE TO LEAVE THEIR NATIONAL COUNTRY, IS THE FACT THAT YOU WILL BE COMPLETELY ALONE, THAT IS WHY CREATING GROUPS and going to events for me is a good option and I would definitely do it Paula L 11B

Submitted by diegosan16 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:27

Yes because cell phones help us to communicate with people we want to see but we are not close to them, but the excessive use of this device can lead us to an addiction and lose social communication.

Submitted by Pau_09 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:27

yes, i think that today we can give to the technology a great use, with the cell phone we can have a lot of information in an easy way, we can be communicate with our friends or family, we can "meet" new places in a virtual way; Also, help us to be communicate for improve our level in the language with a native person or for help us in case that we require consult one word, expression , etc.

Submitted by sacj123 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:26

Yes, i believe that these are some of the responsible uses of the celphone. the idea of been in constantly contact with all the world, been avaible to particpate in the social activities for express what you think and meet new people. also is important use the information of the cellphone to learn new things, like new lenguages.

Submitted by imblue on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:25

I think that maybe I use it in a similar way, not to inform with other people in social media but I would use it to call my family or when I meet new people I would get their number and call them if I need help

Submitted by CADF on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:25

I think that the cellphone is that tool to be conected with the world , so I will use it for cheking some cultural activities and the social events, but I´m really serious with the main of being friend or meet new people just for a social media, I think is delicate just meet people without know something about they. ABout Skype and this kind of apps I use it for be more conected with my family and share with they all of my daily adventures.

Submitted by Seoul on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:23

Technology is great tool for learning other lenguage, or even having and online dictionary in order to not miss anything, constance is the mother of perfection, with the advantage you can practice everywhere. By the other side communication has become easier through the time, so nowadays theres a lot of apps like whatsapp, skype, discord that allows us to talk with our beloved ones.

Submitted by ASABS on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:23

I think the cellphone is a very important tool in our lives, most of the time we pass time on it, and if we try to use it in our benefit, searching for apps that help in our speaking or something like that it is going to be a better tool, it obvious that we have to socialize and speak to other people, but the cellphone makes our lives easier, i use it a lot to communicate with my friends and family, I would try to use it in other ways like searching for the app of duolingo.

Submitted by luisitacomunica on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:22

I think that the internet and all the tools that have itself is one of the best waysto learn different type of things and expresions, also youtube could help to the development of the ear for people who english isn´t the mother language. For studying abroad is a great tool, for communication and info.

Submitted by panda02 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:22

It´s problably, I think that use the teaching apps are good and amazing, also it all the time is motivating you to continue learning. Also if I´m in a new country it can be good to make new friends and the cellphone is the easy way to make it, obviously with the appropiated precautions, also when I come back to my country I can keep in touch with theme and don´t lose all the l¿things I learned. And finally if I´m in other country I would like to talk with my family and friends any time I can, because it´s important to don´t forget where I´m from.

Submitted by Emilycage2002 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:21

I think the smartphone is more like a gadget to communicate and know the city news, and obviously communicate with my new friends. But, I like to be more physically. like visit and start sharing with new people.

Submitted by P34KS on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:20

In my case this would apply that much, I'm not that keen about social media (I often run into trouble because I don't use them). Although I would actually use things like skype to call my parents from time to time. Until I experience livong alone in another counntry i wont actually know how much I would miss home.

Submitted by mclara1591 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:20

I would use the same strategy, but I would also look at other ways, such as socializing a little more and thus being closer to the culture and most importantly the language in which it is spoken

Submitted by Gugosito on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 15:16

I guess that even if its not crucial for some things, it would be important for communicating with my relatives and friends, it makes kinda easier the relationships from long distances. You can actually do videocalls for feeling like you are with the person you are talking to (it isn´t the same but is more comfortable).

Submitted by sgc2710 on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 02:07

yes, the cell phone seems to me a good tool when it comes to living elsewhere because we can look for and have information at hand, we can communicate with friends from another country. help translate in case one does not know the language, also I would use to know what is happening around the world

Submitted by AMMC on Mon, 07/29/2019 - 17:18

Yes, I think that the way Molly uses her cellphone is very successful; so, if I moved to another place to study or live, I would use my cellphone in that way because I consider it helps us to meet people who are foreigners but already know the city or place in a good way, natives of my same age that guide me or with similar interests. In addition, through por smartphone We can find the location of places We need to reach or places that are relationed with our interests. Finally, it helps us to keep communicating with our relatives and sharing our experience with them.
English courses near you