Expats?

[Saorsa]

I'm an expat. American living in Canada. I'm still in the middle of the immigration process. It's been harder to adjust than I thought.   It also negatively affected my fitness routine and my social life is...gone. Anyone else an expat? Where at? What is your experience?

 

 

[Nomad Jay]

I wouldn't consider myself an expat, but I've been living in southern Europe for a few years for work. The first year was the most difficult, learning all the things that I didn't know I didn't know. It didn't really affect my fitness routine (running shoes are cheaper than therapy). There was a definite culture shock moving from a predominantly Anglo-German culture to a Latin culture(1). I'm a guest in their country (work visa) and I try to modify my expectations accordingly but there are still times the local customs & approaches drive me up the wall and all I want to do is shake people until they behave in what I consider to be a more sensible matter.

 

I'm pretty high on the introvert scale, so I'm completely fine not talking to people for long stretches of time, but I understand where you're coming from on the social life part. Putting on my arm-chair psychiatrist hat, social bonding is pretty dependent on having a shared culture, be that a hobby (D&D, video games, ethnic folk-dancing) or growing up in the same area. There are also a lot of social norms you're not familiar with, that you're having to navigate. Rebuilding that social network you used to have is going to take time. I know there are a few websites out there for expats. You might reach out to see if anyone else lives your area and can help you navigate things a bit.

 

Not sure if that's the kind of feedback you were looking for, but I hope it helps.

(1)

Spoiler

I realize the flamewar potential of that sentence and its potentially ugly racial connotations if not discussed with nuance and care. In the interest of not derailing this thread, anyone wanting to discuss this should feel free to send me a PM. I'd prefer not to attract the attention of some of the more...unsavory denizens of the Internets.

 

[Judge]

 

 

If you're planning to live there 6 months to years, you should be fine. Initially moving anywhere is hard, but locals in my experience want to be your friend and help you navigate and understand their country/culture more than not in any country.

 

As an opposite example on the introvert/extrovert scale, I tend to always put myself out there in a new country and join all the groups I can. It keeps me busy, distracted and who knows, I might even end up liking it.

 

I don't know if you are new to expat life, but the first month is always the hardest as a general rule.

 

However there is another adage I've always had for myself which is "February will come". This came from a teacher in highschool who had it written on the whiteboard. When asked, she responded it was a mantra to herself when she got annoyed at how stupid the freshman were. Apparently they are the worst, and then magically in February, they "get it". 

 

Kind of a long winded story, but like those Freshman who are new, lost and scrambling, February comes for us all and we will "get it.". We just have to unfortunately drag ourselves through the first few months of crazy.