tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6712793603818833281.post2055966904441896989..comments2023-09-27T12:48:06.217+01:00Comments on Intercultural Musings: 5 Things to Conquer As an ExpatMargit http://www.blogger.com/profile/17830126186468062827noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6712793603818833281.post-49102900185596251782012-02-23T14:15:35.721+00:002012-02-23T14:15:35.721+00:00"After all, you've left friends and famil..."After all, you've left friends and family behind.Your new country doesn't (seem to) offer the same comforts as home. You feel alienated, alone and awkward."<br /><br />I saw this in a close friend who emigrated. Even though she went abroad with her parents and most of her family was already there, she felt really lonely. While her parents were worried about <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cignaglobal.com/health-insurance-plans/">overseas medical insurance</a>, driving licences, visas and all the top-level stuff, she was thinking "Will I fit in?", "Will I have to change to fit in?", "Will I be able to make friends?", "Will I lose the friends I have now?". <br /><br />It took her a long while to adjust and I have to admit, there were moments where I really did think she'd jump on the first plane back to England. But she didn't. She found herself and carved herself out a new home. She came back to England for a visit a few years back and it was a little like recalling a dream. She used to belong here but now she didn't. (She can often be quite critical of England now, which sometimes annoys me but I have to remind myself that she belongs to another country now) <br /><br />Fair enough, I've no experience of being an expatriate myself but I would hazard a guess that you can think so hard and try so hard to fit in that you're only standing in your own way. Sometimes, it's best to just see what happens. You may well be changing without even realising it.Beckynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6712793603818833281.post-2210854148318232952011-01-11T21:31:51.904+00:002011-01-11T21:31:51.904+00:00I'm glad you put learning the language first. ...I'm glad you put learning the language first. I know so many expats who seem almost proud of their complete inability to speak their host language.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15691055489477622428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6712793603818833281.post-79487232550067017972010-12-20T20:09:10.893+00:002010-12-20T20:09:10.893+00:00How true Margit (...although not so sure that Poin...How true Margit (...although not so sure that Point 5 resonates totally with my experiences with Brits abroad...). Maybe one should consult Mr. Chatwin and Mr. Lawrence on homeliness and homesickness. Maybe not being able to stick it anywhere is less the symptom of a warped psychology, rather the mentality of people who front up problems honestly rather than simply parroting cliches about everywhere being basically the same. Nice pieceEdwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16199836505559527724noreply@blogger.com