Being an expat is not always easy. You have to battle homesickness and culture shocks. Not to mention your family and friends, who - we know - love us and want what's best for you but keep asking when you are moving back because - let's face it - what is even the point of living abroad during a global pandemic? Yes, living abroad during a global pandemic is especially hard. When all things hit the fan, it is time to give yourself an expat pep-talk.
The last year surely was not what I expected from my life in Ireland. Instead of a vibrant tech office culture, the Cliffs of Moher, and pints in pubs I got my bedroom, 5 km walks around the neighborhood, and jigsaw puzzles. Well, shuck. The current situation is already enough to make even the best of us struggle. Add in the fact that you are far away from family and friends and that you temporarily forgot the English word for Lauch (it's leek btw), and you have a crying German walking home from the shop feeling pretty sorry for herself.
As the spiral goes, I felt even worse for feeling so bad for myself - after all, I was healthy, and my family was healthy, I still had a job - I even got a promotion. Yes, a global pandemic is not fun, but surely other people have it way worse. So when I was walking along the canal, feeling sorry about feeling sorry about feeling sorry, I decided it was time for a pep talk, and it went something like this:
Right. Of course, this is hard. Being an expat is hard. Being an expat during a global pandemic is even harder. Of course, you don't know when all this will be over and if everyone will be okay. Being in a lockdown over several months having to work from your bedroom for more than a year sucks. It's okay to feel bad. You will have good days and bad. You’ll experience many highs and lows. You will feel incredible homesickness and incredible euphoria all in the same day. Take it all in your stride. Attitude is key. Sure, restaurants and pubs might be closed and you cannot travel. But you can still explore the city you call home, visit parks and try new places for takeaway. Appreciate the time for what it is. Keep an open mind. Embrace this experience, keep a blog and maybe start writing about how you feel. You can do this.
I gave myself a pep talk. I keep it real, acknowledging the good and the bad. Yes, I am ready for this pandemic to be over, go outside and start living my life again. But I also don't want to mope around how COVID is ruining everything and let this pandemic question my choices. I want to give myself a pat on the back for being able to look back at my experiences with a smile.
Kate recommends: Not a book, but a mood booster playlist.