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The Unseen Side of Expat Life: When the Dream Becomes a Struggle
Let’s be realistic, friends. While the idea of becoming an expat paints a picture of exotic adventures and boundless opportunities, the reality isn’t always a sun-drenched beach with a perfect latte. For many, the initial excitement can give way to a challenging, isolating, and even overwhelming experience. It’s a truth rarely shared on glossy social media feeds, but for some, the expat dream turns into a struggle they simply can’t handle alone. The boomerang effect sets in. The most insidious challenge is often culture shock, a profound disorientation that goes far beyond simply adjusting to new customs. It’s the daily grind of navigating a foreign language, deciphering subtle social cues,…
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“Normal” Is Just Where You Grew Up
“Why do you do it that way?” You often hear this question when you live abroad. Sometimes, this query comes spoken aloud; at other times, an internal voice merely whispers it as you navigate a new culture. And frequently, you don’t have an answer. You just… do. Because, quite simply, that’s what “normal” always meant to you. However, you will learn, on hot nights at country dachas in Ukraine, at bustling cafes in Spain, and over wine in a tiny village in France, is that normal is profoundly relative. What’s standard, commonplace, and utterly unremarkable in one place can appear completely alien, even bizarre, in another. Indeed, that, my friends,…
