An expat’s level of CULTURAL adaptation usually falls somewhere on a sliding scale. On one end of the scale is a state of nearly complete isolation from the host CULTURE, perhaps within a foreigners’ compound. On the other end is what expats often call going native; living as the local people do, speaking their language and not your own, and dropping your CULTURAL practices in favor of the host CULTURE’S.
During your time overseas, you will have to strike your own balance between adopting local ways and maintaining your habits from home. This balance will depend on factors such as the degree of difference between the host CULTURE and yours, your level of comfort with host-country practices, and the size of the community of expats available to support your home CULTURE lifestyle.
You may consider it more important to maintain elements of your home CULTURE if you have children. Couples from two different countries may also consider it especially important to maintain their CULTURES within the home. Their home can be a lively mix of CULTURAL influences, and the children can identify strongly with the countries of both parents.
Overseas, following your own CULTURAL traditions can require some preparation and effort. Some tips include: Keep current with your CULTURE, create a CULTURAL oasis in your home, and celebrate holidays overseas. I also found it helpful to reach out via Facebook groups to expats from my home country living in my host country. The exchange of info and tips on where to find your favorite foods for instance can be incredibly helpful.
There is no right or wrong way to be an expat. It helps if you can find the balance that feels right for you of adapting to the new ways, and maintaining a sense of your identity too. What feels right today, may be very different from what feels right a year from now.