Sunday, December 3, 2017

Challenges of an expat partner!




Contrary to what many people may think to be an expat partner has its ups and downs. Moving to another country is an adventure for the whole life. It’s scary, exciting, intimidating and inspiring in equal measure. There are ups and downs in every moment of planning, packaging and moving.

This denomination that women receive after leaving their country of origin comes loaded with many preconceptions and challenges inferred not only by the people we live with but also by ourselves! As I mentioned in others posts the adaptation process change for each one, so it's impossible to generalize.

Having a partner, be they one that share your culture or not, helps in the process, but there are some challenges that you must face alone. 

One of the biggest challenges involves your self-identity. We know that society gives much value to work, the sense of accomplishment that comes with it and associates a person's identity with what they do. But what becomes of your identity when you stop working? Do you stop being yourself and  contributing to society? No, of course not, but it's still a challenge to recover one's identity without a specific work involved. 

We cannot forget the daily challenges such as to learning a new language, making new friends, shopping and, if you have children, dealing with the school routine and providing emotional support to them. To some people these challenges can be scary and lead to isolation and the loss of simple abilities. To others the challenges might be big, but not impossible.

The number of women leaving their original country is increasing, so you are not alone. There are many strategies we can follow to help on this process, but we must speak openly about it not only with other women but also with the people around us.

See you next time,
Laura

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