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Homepage > Uncategorized > Is moving abroad a good choice?
June 12, 2022 In Uncategorized

Is moving abroad a good choice?

should-you-move-abroad-or-not-projectabroadeu-marta-zielinska

If you’re reading this article, then you likely have this question in your head already. My counter question to you is: what triggered this thought for you? What made you think that moving abroad could be a choice you could make?

Knowing the why – Katie’s story

Identifying the needs that are unmet is the first step to understanding the ‘why’.  We often go into conclusions too early, before considering other options, and we go for the first thing or first solution that comes to mind.

But – – is it always the best choice? Let’s have a look at an example.

A 29-year old woman, let’s call her Katie, considers whether to move abroad to “start over”. Reasons? She just broke off a 5-year long relationship after being cheated on and lost all trust in her partner (and basically in all men, to be fair), she’s nearing the 30th birthday too and has some anxiety around it. The break up was her trigger to think “Well, maybe I should just start over, clean slate, move abroad”. 

I’m not saying that moving abroad is not a solution here, it may be, but I’d encourage Katie to explore her current needs a bit more and see how they impact her decision making process. If the conclusion at the end is ‘Yes, I’m going!’ then this is absolutely fine – but let’s make it a deliberate decision.

After exploring further, Katie concludes that at the moment she has a need for spending some time alone, rethinking her priorities, doing “new” things as she hasn’t done this much with her partner, and having some fun with people she likes.

Great insights!

Now the question becomes – can Katie meet her needs in a different way than moving abroad?  

After multiple conversations, Katie comes to the conclusion that actually:

  1. she can just start with going away for a week alone to an agriculture she had on her radar for a while now. This would satisfy her need of being alone with her thoughts and also the need for novelty, as she wanted to visit this area of the country for a while now, but her partner wasn’t so keen on.
  2. at first she thought that meeting new people abroad could  be exciting, but then reflected that it may not be as easy to make friends abroad as she thinks it is. She therefore decided that she could invite her friends to spend time more actively with her and have some fun with people she already has a good relationship with. And if they meet some new friends along the way – that’s an added bonus!
  3. her idea to move abroad sounded like an exciting opportunity, but in reality was an attempt to escape from everything here that reminded her of her ex-partner. She now realised she would also be escaping from many things she loves about her city, including best friends and family.

In Katie’s case, she noticed that the move abroad was supposed to be an escape. A move away from something. Upon reflection, the decision was to stay, give herself some time to process the events and rediscover herself, and then to start re-writing her story in the same city, building new memories and covering up the sad memories with new joyful ones more and more.  

What are you moving towards?

It’s a key question for people who decide whether to move abroad.

(In the current state of the world, I shall add that the target audience of this blog and my materials are not refugees or asylum-seekers!)

Whether you decide to move your own, or you’re agreeing to move to accompany your partner in their assignment abroad, you need to make your own decision on why you’re moving.

It’s one thing to know all the things you’re moving away from – could be poor job opportunities, toxic relationships, bad weather, low pay etc. It’s more important to specify what you’re moving towards.

This will help you keep the excitement after the move, and build anticipation for something better to come. Accompanying partners will especially appreciate this exercise to counteract the thoughts of ‘I’m leaving my family’, ‘I need to give up a great job’ and so on. To make the move a success, and a nice developmental opportunity, try asking yourself:

What are you looking forward to in this move?

What are you gaining through this move?

What are you excited to learn about the new country?

What swayed you to make this decision?

What activities will you try when you get there? What places will you want to visit?

When moving as a result of one partner’s opportunity, it’s sometimes easy to get into the frame of thinking that ‘we’re moving for them’ and the sacrificing mindset. The truth is, even if you are giving up a lot in a move, it’s still your decision to go through with it. It may mean that you are prioritising the value of ‘family’ or ‘relationship’ over others. If you are – it’s likely more important for you than others, maybe you think that others, like the career, you can meet in other ways when abroad.

Moving as partners is a whole other topic as well and you can read a separate article on that here.

If you sign up to my newsletter, you get a very thorough (and free!) workbook with exercises that can help you feel more established in yourself, during and after the move. Have a go at it!

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Verifying the ‘towards’

Thinking that the grass is greener somewhere is an easy trap to fall into. I encourage you to verify if your assumptions about the destination you’re considering are indeed true.

For example, people often consider Denmark as a great place to live as expats when they look at salary levels or social support. And that’s true, salaries are generally quite generous in Denmark, but there are other aspects to consider – cost of life, high taxes, eligibility for that highly acclaimed social support, ease of acclimatising with the local culture etc. We need to put all these things together to get a realistic picture of our potential life in a new country.

Checking assumptions and doing the research is a useful way to do that.

So… should you move abroad?

Moving abroad can be a very rewarding and developmental experience. It’s also one that kind of puts your life upside down in many ways too! That’s why I think it’s important to have a clear ‘why’ in our heads to keep us going and to assess our initial expectations against. It may feel like it’s a decision “for life”, but it doesn’t need to be, we don’t need to put that kind of pressure on ourselves.

At the same time, because it’s so time, energy and money consuming to move abroad, it’s worth reflecting on our needs beforehand to ensure we’re 100% in alignment with our decision at the time we’re making it.

Are you planning your move abroad? Here are some more articles you may find helpful!

Want to move abroad but don’t know where to start?

I chose my expat destination. Now what?

What’s it like to move abroad as an adult?

If you’d like support in listening to your worries and considerations, and help in making this decision, coaching can be a great tool for you to try!

Book your free 30-minute consultation here or email me directly at contact@projectabroad.eu if you’d like to learn more about how working with me can help in your challenges.

Previous StoryD.I.V.E. in with awareness or stay confused

Author

Marta Zielińska

Hi, my name is Marta. I am combining my psychological, business and intercultural experience to offer advice on successful living and working across cultures. I believe that everything is possible for such an ambitious and talented person as yourself! With some exercises, self-reflection and new knowledge, you can grow your cultural intelligence and build a successful international career, mind and life.

Learn more

Recent Posts

  • Is moving abroad a good choice?
  • D.I.V.E. in with awareness or stay confused
  • How to stay connected with family and friends when living abroad
  • Are you experiencing identity crisis while living abroad?
  • Temporary move which turned out to be a longer-term international adventure – Claudia’s Spanish story

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It's important to remember that not everyone has lived abroad. This is equally relevant for expats and people who work with expats too.☝️⁠
⁠
👉If you're an expat, acknowledging this can bring more patience into dealing with intercultural challenges you encounter. ⁠
⁠
You may not understand all the cultural aspects of your new reality, but similarly, people around you may not be familiar with your background! ⁠
⁠
It can also give you more courage to share what things are like where you come from or to ask some basic-sounding questions about the new location.⁠
⁠
👉If on the other hand you haven't lived abroad yourself, but work with people who are expats, acknowledging this can help you be more understanding and humble towards people you work with. ⁠
⁠
For example, the amount of questions that seem obvious to you but the expat needs answers to, in order to understand the new context. ⁠
⁠
It also gives you the opportunity to reciprocate with questions and learn things that you may not even have know interest you about the other person's culture!⁠
⁠
⁠
So a question for you today is - what have you recently learnt from a person you work with, who comes from a different cultural background? 🤔⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
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It's important to remember that not everyone has lived abroad. This is equally relevant for expats and people who work with expats too.☝️⁠ ⁠ 👉If you're an expat, acknowledging this can bring more patience into dealing with intercultural challenges you encounter. ⁠ ⁠ You may not understand all the cultural aspects of your new reality, but similarly, people around you may not be familiar with your background! ⁠ ⁠ It can also give you more courage to share what things are like where you come from or to ask some basic-sounding questions about the new location.⁠ ⁠ 👉If on the other hand you haven't lived abroad yourself, but work with people who are expats, acknowledging this can help you be more understanding and humble towards people you work with. ⁠ ⁠ For example, the amount of questions that seem obvious to you but the expat needs answers to, in order to understand the new context. ⁠ ⁠ It also gives you the opportunity to reciprocate with questions and learn things that you may not even have know interest you about the other person's culture!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ So a question for you today is - what have you recently learnt from a person you work with, who comes from a different cultural background? 🤔⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
2 days ago
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Oh the summertime... (for us in the northern hemisphere at least!)⁠
⁠
Nice holidays, visiting new places, soaking in the sun, or the mountains or wherever you like to relax... ⁠
⁠
Or... wait. But what if we have to choose between visiting home and going someplace new for holidays? What if we only get the 4 weeks of time off work and that's it? ⁠🤷‍♀️😞
⁠
Have you ever felt the guilt when choosing a new holiday destination instead of spending that extra week back home with family? Or worse, have you ever heard comments from your family that made you feel guilty of that?⁠🙄
⁠
Well, for many of us it's the reality of life abroad. And it's tough. But it's also about choices and setting expectations. ⁠
⁠
One thing to remember is that phones work both ways, planes fly both directions too. You don't always need to be the one making the tough choices. ⁠
⁠
I get it, there are people who can't make the trip, maybe they're ill etc. But it's likely not all of your friends and family back home ☺️ You don’t need to take the whole blame. 

Share it with someone who may need that reminder today! 🤩
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #settingboundaries #selfhelp #selfcare
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Oh the summertime... (for us in the northern hemisphere at least!)⁠ ⁠ Nice holidays, visiting new places, soaking in the sun, or the mountains or wherever you like to relax... ⁠ ⁠ Or... wait. But what if we have to choose between visiting home and going someplace new for holidays? What if we only get the 4 weeks of time off work and that's it? ⁠🤷‍♀️😞 ⁠ Have you ever felt the guilt when choosing a new holiday destination instead of spending that extra week back home with family? Or worse, have you ever heard comments from your family that made you feel guilty of that?⁠🙄 ⁠ Well, for many of us it's the reality of life abroad. And it's tough. But it's also about choices and setting expectations. ⁠ ⁠ One thing to remember is that phones work both ways, planes fly both directions too. You don't always need to be the one making the tough choices. ⁠ ⁠ I get it, there are people who can't make the trip, maybe they're ill etc. But it's likely not all of your friends and family back home ☺️ You don’t need to take the whole blame. Share it with someone who may need that reminder today! 🤩 ⁠ #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #settingboundaries #selfhelp #selfcare
4 days ago
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When we move abroad, often we experience an overwhelm of emotions and personal transformations. With a new job or role we've taken on as well, we want to perform and prove that leadership made the right choice in offering us this assignment abroad. ⁠
⁠
Ooph! High stakes. 😬⁠
⁠
But when we're unfamiliar with the new culture and/or didn't work on our cultural competences much before, we're likely to see a dip in our productivity. ⁠
⁠
And worse - we may get annoyed at ourselves and put even more pressure on, thinking we SHOULD be able to handle this. ⁠
⁠
Sounds familiar? 🙈⁠
⁠
Well, I'd say it's unreasonable, and maybe even dangerous to expect that you would be performing at equally high level in such a transitional time impacting your mental wellbeing. ⁠
⁠
👉The key is to re-calibrate what success looks like. ⁠
⁠
🤷‍♀️Maybe it's a success that you've completed a meeting in a whole new language without needing a translator. ⁠
⁠
🤷‍♀️Or maybe it's that you've simply delivered on the basics of what was expected of you. ⁠
⁠
🤷‍♀️Or maybe it's that you have gotten out of bed (if it's that bad though, make sure to seek professional help when needed!). ⁠
⁠
"Cut yourself some slack", as they say, and adjust your expectations to the context. Life will get so much easier that way and you'll create the breathing space for you to learn, soak in the new experiences and grow!⁠

📬Sign up to the newsletter to download a workbook which will help you set your goals in the broader context of your needs in the life abroad. 
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
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When we move abroad, often we experience an overwhelm of emotions and personal transformations. With a new job or role we've taken on as well, we want to perform and prove that leadership made the right choice in offering us this assignment abroad. ⁠ ⁠ Ooph! High stakes. 😬⁠ ⁠ But when we're unfamiliar with the new culture and/or didn't work on our cultural competences much before, we're likely to see a dip in our productivity. ⁠ ⁠ And worse - we may get annoyed at ourselves and put even more pressure on, thinking we SHOULD be able to handle this. ⁠ ⁠ Sounds familiar? 🙈⁠ ⁠ Well, I'd say it's unreasonable, and maybe even dangerous to expect that you would be performing at equally high level in such a transitional time impacting your mental wellbeing. ⁠ ⁠ 👉The key is to re-calibrate what success looks like. ⁠ ⁠ 🤷‍♀️Maybe it's a success that you've completed a meeting in a whole new language without needing a translator. ⁠ ⁠ 🤷‍♀️Or maybe it's that you've simply delivered on the basics of what was expected of you. ⁠ ⁠ 🤷‍♀️Or maybe it's that you have gotten out of bed (if it's that bad though, make sure to seek professional help when needed!). ⁠ ⁠ "Cut yourself some slack", as they say, and adjust your expectations to the context. Life will get so much easier that way and you'll create the breathing space for you to learn, soak in the new experiences and grow!⁠ 📬Sign up to the newsletter to download a workbook which will help you set your goals in the broader context of your needs in the life abroad. ⁠ #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
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#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
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#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
2 weeks ago
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What's cultural intelligence? In short, it's an ability to be effective in various cultural contexts. To do that you need four competences:⁠
👍Openness to a different perspective (CQ Drive)⁠
👍Understanding of that other perspective (CQ Knowledge)⁠
👍Strategy to work together in spite of the differences (CQ Strategy)⁠
👍Flexibility to stick with our core and not losing ourselves in the process while also being effective and achieving the set goals (CQ Action)⁠
⁠
So - what can this look like in practice? ⁠
⁠
One of my coachees was Chinese and moved to the UK. He was challenged by the pace of the conversation here and the lack of space for him to speak up in meetings. The feedback he quickly started getting was that he needs to speak up more in meetings and contribute. ⁠
⁠
Was it that he was unable to contribute ideas or literally speak up? 🤷No. It was more around the level of comfort, feeling that it's "wrong" to interrupt others or not to leave space before when one person speaks and the other starts. It was an internal struggle. So while it sound like a simple "just speak up!" 🙄solution, when we talk about intercultural adaptation, a lot of internal work goes into it. ⁠
⁠
How did he overcome his challenge? 🤔⁠
⁠
He was motivated to exploring the UK culture and learning more (Drive) and admitting that it's not 'stupid' or 'weird' but simply a different normal. ⁠
⁠
He learnt about cultural dimensions that may be at play here eg. hierarchy, directness of communication (Knowledge). ⁠
⁠
Then he planned for the next meeting and thought of ideas on how he can achieve his goal without compromising who he is (Strategy) ⁠
⁠
During the meeting decided to adapt some of his behaviours through taking the role of a scribe in a meeting.  This made him more comfortable to jump into the conversation while clarifying someone else's point when writing it down and adding some of his thoughts, since he already had the voice (Action). ⁠
⁠
Want to be more confident and comfortable when working across cultures? Follow for more!
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What's cultural intelligence? In short, it's an ability to be effective in various cultural contexts. To do that you need four competences:⁠ 👍Openness to a different perspective (CQ Drive)⁠ 👍Understanding of that other perspective (CQ Knowledge)⁠ 👍Strategy to work together in spite of the differences (CQ Strategy)⁠ 👍Flexibility to stick with our core and not losing ourselves in the process while also being effective and achieving the set goals (CQ Action)⁠ ⁠ So - what can this look like in practice? ⁠ ⁠ One of my coachees was Chinese and moved to the UK. He was challenged by the pace of the conversation here and the lack of space for him to speak up in meetings. The feedback he quickly started getting was that he needs to speak up more in meetings and contribute. ⁠ ⁠ Was it that he was unable to contribute ideas or literally speak up? 🤷No. It was more around the level of comfort, feeling that it's "wrong" to interrupt others or not to leave space before when one person speaks and the other starts. It was an internal struggle. So while it sound like a simple "just speak up!" 🙄solution, when we talk about intercultural adaptation, a lot of internal work goes into it. ⁠ ⁠ How did he overcome his challenge? 🤔⁠ ⁠ He was motivated to exploring the UK culture and learning more (Drive) and admitting that it's not 'stupid' or 'weird' but simply a different normal. ⁠ ⁠ He learnt about cultural dimensions that may be at play here eg. hierarchy, directness of communication (Knowledge). ⁠ ⁠ Then he planned for the next meeting and thought of ideas on how he can achieve his goal without compromising who he is (Strategy) ⁠ ⁠ During the meeting decided to adapt some of his behaviours through taking the role of a scribe in a meeting. This made him more comfortable to jump into the conversation while clarifying someone else's point when writing it down and adding some of his thoughts, since he already had the voice (Action). ⁠ ⁠ Want to be more confident and comfortable when working across cultures? Follow for more!
2 weeks ago
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5/9
It's a question I was asking myself when I first moved abroad. Why?⁠
⁠
I moved to the UK together with my (also Polish) partner. The caveat initially though was that he couldn't move at the same time I did 🤷 and we were apart for just over a month before he could join me here. ⁠
⁠
A month may not sound like a lot of time, especially now that we have the context of the pandemic where I've seen many people be apart from their loved ones, partners and families for sooo much longer. ⁠
⁠
For me at the time though it was a lot and quite an overwhelming time. ⁠
We haven't been apart for that long ever since we started our relationship 4 years before. It was a vulnerable time because I was already going through the transition and adaptation, also juggling the logistics of moving and setting myself up as well as a new intense job. 

And all the emotional rollercoaster too of course. 

It was hard to explain in words sometimes but we tried to talk 'live' every day to stay connected. ⁠
⁠
I was asking myself - will we be able to go through that? How will this experience impact us? ⁠
⁠
And then he joined! What a joy! 😅 Well... those first few months were tough, because we were on different adaptation timelines! By the time he arrived I already have gone through some of the ups and downs and shocks and surprises and adaptations. Now he had his adaptation time himself. 🙈 It took us a good few months to align a bit and regulate our emotions.⁠
⁠
Spoiler alert: We made it through :)⁠
⁠
Each moving story is different. That's why I like hearing from you in conversations how you felt and how your move was. To learn different perspectives. To learn about your challenges. And to find solutions and ways forward together. ⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #polishcouple
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It's a question I was asking myself when I first moved abroad. Why?⁠ ⁠ I moved to the UK together with my (also Polish) partner. The caveat initially though was that he couldn't move at the same time I did 🤷 and we were apart for just over a month before he could join me here. ⁠ ⁠ A month may not sound like a lot of time, especially now that we have the context of the pandemic where I've seen many people be apart from their loved ones, partners and families for sooo much longer. ⁠ ⁠ For me at the time though it was a lot and quite an overwhelming time. ⁠ We haven't been apart for that long ever since we started our relationship 4 years before. It was a vulnerable time because I was already going through the transition and adaptation, also juggling the logistics of moving and setting myself up as well as a new intense job. And all the emotional rollercoaster too of course. It was hard to explain in words sometimes but we tried to talk 'live' every day to stay connected. ⁠ ⁠ I was asking myself - will we be able to go through that? How will this experience impact us? ⁠ ⁠ And then he joined! What a joy! 😅 Well... those first few months were tough, because we were on different adaptation timelines! By the time he arrived I already have gone through some of the ups and downs and shocks and surprises and adaptations. Now he had his adaptation time himself. 🙈 It took us a good few months to align a bit and regulate our emotions.⁠ ⁠ Spoiler alert: We made it through :)⁠ ⁠ Each moving story is different. That's why I like hearing from you in conversations how you felt and how your move was. To learn different perspectives. To learn about your challenges. And to find solutions and ways forward together. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #polishcouple
3 weeks ago
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6/9
Not all bestsellers are great books, in my opinion. But this one? 100 times yes! This book made a huge impact on me and encouraged me to pursue the interest I had. 🤩⁠
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In the later years of my (psychology) Masters degree I got interested in the intercultural psychology field. I've done my fair bit of reading and digging into it, and straight after finishing my studies I moved abroad to experience the expat life and more cultural diversity on my own skin. ⁠
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During one of my first trips back home after moving, I noticed this book on the display (granted, marketers did a great job choosing the bright yellow for the cover 😄), read the description, bought it, and read it in no time. ⁠
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What made such an impact on me was that it was full of practical, business examples on how increasing that self-awareness and expanding our toolkits can massively help us communicate and collaborate across cultures. 👉 With less frustration, with less misunderstandings, with more confidence and more fun! ⁠
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It was not one of those research documents or hefty manuals I've encountered before, which were very academic and super interesting, but I wasn't sure how I can apply this to the business world.⁠
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As I was reading the book, I was also reflecting on my own early experiences of moving abroad and entering a full British working environment. That made me put the two and two together, and I knew I wanted to pursue this topic and share those and further insights with other expats to help them feel more confident and comfortable when working across cultures as well. Project Abroad was born and the rest is history ☺️
⁠
🥰 What's a book that made and impact on your life recently? 🥰⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #careerdevelopment #careerabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
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Not all bestsellers are great books, in my opinion. But this one? 100 times yes! This book made a huge impact on me and encouraged me to pursue the interest I had. 🤩⁠ ⁠ In the later years of my (psychology) Masters degree I got interested in the intercultural psychology field. I've done my fair bit of reading and digging into it, and straight after finishing my studies I moved abroad to experience the expat life and more cultural diversity on my own skin. ⁠ ⁠ During one of my first trips back home after moving, I noticed this book on the display (granted, marketers did a great job choosing the bright yellow for the cover 😄), read the description, bought it, and read it in no time. ⁠ ⁠ What made such an impact on me was that it was full of practical, business examples on how increasing that self-awareness and expanding our toolkits can massively help us communicate and collaborate across cultures. 👉 With less frustration, with less misunderstandings, with more confidence and more fun! ⁠ ⁠ It was not one of those research documents or hefty manuals I've encountered before, which were very academic and super interesting, but I wasn't sure how I can apply this to the business world.⁠ ⁠ As I was reading the book, I was also reflecting on my own early experiences of moving abroad and entering a full British working environment. That made me put the two and two together, and I knew I wanted to pursue this topic and share those and further insights with other expats to help them feel more confident and comfortable when working across cultures as well. Project Abroad was born and the rest is history ☺️ ⁠ 🥰 What's a book that made and impact on your life recently? 🥰⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #careerdevelopment #careerabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
If you're overwhelmed with uncertainty, you need to develop your resilience. ⁠
⁠
It's a set of skills that help you pivot, readjust and handle change and uncertainty. Those skills are: ⁠
🤩Emotional regulation⁠
🤩Impulse control⁠
🤩Optimism⁠
🤩Causal analysis⁠
🤩Empathy⁠
🤩Self-efficacy⁠
🤩Reaching out⁠
⁠
Good news is that there are strategies you can learn to grow and build on these skills! ⁠
Especially in the face of the constant change that happens around us, some intentional but some completely out of our control. All that while living abroad and not always being able to draw on our social support that we need.⁠
⁠
Drop the word 'RESILIENCE in my DMs if you want to:⁠
💪Understand the value of growing resilience skills and how they can improve your life quality abroad⁠
💪Fill up your toolkit with strategies you can apply regularly to work on your resilience skills⁠
💪Learn the triggers which put you in the overwhelm mode, where resilience skills can come in handy⁠
⁠
⁠Coaching can be a great tool to explore your current skills and build new ones - wanna give it a try? 😊⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #buildingresilience #expatresilience #resilienceabroad
If you're overwhelmed with uncertainty, you need to develop your resilience. ⁠
⁠
It's a set of skills that help you pivot, readjust and handle change and uncertainty. Those skills are: ⁠
🤩Emotional regulation⁠
🤩Impulse control⁠
🤩Optimism⁠
🤩Causal analysis⁠
🤩Empathy⁠
🤩Self-efficacy⁠
🤩Reaching out⁠
⁠
Good news is that there are strategies you can learn to grow and build on these skills! ⁠
Especially in the face of the constant change that happens around us, some intentional but some completely out of our control. All that while living abroad and not always being able to draw on our social support that we need.⁠
⁠
Drop the word 'RESILIENCE in my DMs if you want to:⁠
💪Understand the value of growing resilience skills and how they can improve your life quality abroad⁠
💪Fill up your toolkit with strategies you can apply regularly to work on your resilience skills⁠
💪Learn the triggers which put you in the overwhelm mode, where resilience skills can come in handy⁠
⁠
⁠Coaching can be a great tool to explore your current skills and build new ones - wanna give it a try? 😊⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #buildingresilience #expatresilience #resilienceabroad
If you're overwhelmed with uncertainty, you need to develop your resilience. ⁠
⁠
It's a set of skills that help you pivot, readjust and handle change and uncertainty. Those skills are: ⁠
🤩Emotional regulation⁠
🤩Impulse control⁠
🤩Optimism⁠
🤩Causal analysis⁠
🤩Empathy⁠
🤩Self-efficacy⁠
🤩Reaching out⁠
⁠
Good news is that there are strategies you can learn to grow and build on these skills! ⁠
Especially in the face of the constant change that happens around us, some intentional but some completely out of our control. All that while living abroad and not always being able to draw on our social support that we need.⁠
⁠
Drop the word 'RESILIENCE in my DMs if you want to:⁠
💪Understand the value of growing resilience skills and how they can improve your life quality abroad⁠
💪Fill up your toolkit with strategies you can apply regularly to work on your resilience skills⁠
💪Learn the triggers which put you in the overwhelm mode, where resilience skills can come in handy⁠
⁠
⁠Coaching can be a great tool to explore your current skills and build new ones - wanna give it a try? 😊⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #buildingresilience #expatresilience #resilienceabroad
If you're overwhelmed with uncertainty, you need to develop your resilience. ⁠
⁠
It's a set of skills that help you pivot, readjust and handle change and uncertainty. Those skills are: ⁠
🤩Emotional regulation⁠
🤩Impulse control⁠
🤩Optimism⁠
🤩Causal analysis⁠
🤩Empathy⁠
🤩Self-efficacy⁠
🤩Reaching out⁠
⁠
Good news is that there are strategies you can learn to grow and build on these skills! ⁠
Especially in the face of the constant change that happens around us, some intentional but some completely out of our control. All that while living abroad and not always being able to draw on our social support that we need.⁠
⁠
Drop the word 'RESILIENCE in my DMs if you want to:⁠
💪Understand the value of growing resilience skills and how they can improve your life quality abroad⁠
💪Fill up your toolkit with strategies you can apply regularly to work on your resilience skills⁠
💪Learn the triggers which put you in the overwhelm mode, where resilience skills can come in handy⁠
⁠
⁠Coaching can be a great tool to explore your current skills and build new ones - wanna give it a try? 😊⁠
⁠
⁠
#expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #buildingresilience #expatresilience #resilienceabroad
projectabroadblog
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•
Follow
If you're overwhelmed with uncertainty, you need to develop your resilience. ⁠ ⁠ It's a set of skills that help you pivot, readjust and handle change and uncertainty. Those skills are: ⁠ 🤩Emotional regulation⁠ 🤩Impulse control⁠ 🤩Optimism⁠ 🤩Causal analysis⁠ 🤩Empathy⁠ 🤩Self-efficacy⁠ 🤩Reaching out⁠ ⁠ Good news is that there are strategies you can learn to grow and build on these skills! ⁠ Especially in the face of the constant change that happens around us, some intentional but some completely out of our control. All that while living abroad and not always being able to draw on our social support that we need.⁠ ⁠ Drop the word 'RESILIENCE in my DMs if you want to:⁠ 💪Understand the value of growing resilience skills and how they can improve your life quality abroad⁠ 💪Fill up your toolkit with strategies you can apply regularly to work on your resilience skills⁠ 💪Learn the triggers which put you in the overwhelm mode, where resilience skills can come in handy⁠ ⁠ ⁠Coaching can be a great tool to explore your current skills and build new ones - wanna give it a try? 😊⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica #buildingresilience #expatresilience #resilienceabroad
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
Speaking the language with ease. Oh the dream!⁠
#mayonthemove2022 ⁠
⁠
When I was moving to the UK I thought I was speaking good English already. “I’m good at English” was a part of my identity… “If anything will be challenging for me during this move” I thought, “it will not be the language” ⁠
⁠
Could I be more wrong? 🙄🙄🙄⁠
⁠
When I came out of the Luton Airport terminal, ready for my adventure, I couldn’t find the right bus to take me to the city. So I asked a member of staff where I can find it. From her answer I only understood “show”, “ticket” and saw her pointing her finger in the direction of the bus bay. ⁠
I found the bus, got on, and understood maybe 50% of the instructions the bus driver gave. ⁠
⁠
New accents: 1 - Marta: 0 😭⁠
⁠
With tears in my eyes, I continued the journey to my new home...⁠
⁠
At that point I wished I could speak English with ease. But I defined what that means incorrectly. ⁠
⁠
It wasn’t about not making mistakes or pretending I understood all that’s being said. ⁠
⁠
It really was about mindset work that needed to happen. To understand that I don’t need to have all the words, that as long as I manage to communicate it doesn’t always matter if I make a mistake, that I can ask for explanation, that if I put myself at ease a bit more and take off the pressure I can have a better experience overall. ⁠
⁠
Do you feel like you’re able to speak a non-native language at ease? What made you reach that “at ease” stage, if you have already?⁠
⁠
#expatlife #learninglanguages #expatchallenges #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #fittingin #speakinglanguages #globallife #internationallife #internationalcareer #selfawareness #growthmindset #mindsetwork #selfdevelopment #personalgrowth #culturalawareness
projectabroadblog
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•
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Speaking the language with ease. Oh the dream!⁠ #mayonthemove2022 ⁠ ⁠ When I was moving to the UK I thought I was speaking good English already. “I’m good at English” was a part of my identity… “If anything will be challenging for me during this move” I thought, “it will not be the language” ⁠ ⁠ Could I be more wrong? 🙄🙄🙄⁠ ⁠ When I came out of the Luton Airport terminal, ready for my adventure, I couldn’t find the right bus to take me to the city. So I asked a member of staff where I can find it. From her answer I only understood “show”, “ticket” and saw her pointing her finger in the direction of the bus bay. ⁠ I found the bus, got on, and understood maybe 50% of the instructions the bus driver gave. ⁠ ⁠ New accents: 1 - Marta: 0 😭⁠ ⁠ With tears in my eyes, I continued the journey to my new home...⁠ ⁠ At that point I wished I could speak English with ease. But I defined what that means incorrectly. ⁠ ⁠ It wasn’t about not making mistakes or pretending I understood all that’s being said. ⁠ ⁠ It really was about mindset work that needed to happen. To understand that I don’t need to have all the words, that as long as I manage to communicate it doesn’t always matter if I make a mistake, that I can ask for explanation, that if I put myself at ease a bit more and take off the pressure I can have a better experience overall. ⁠ ⁠ Do you feel like you’re able to speak a non-native language at ease? What made you reach that “at ease” stage, if you have already?⁠ ⁠ #expatlife #learninglanguages #expatchallenges #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #fittingin #speakinglanguages #globallife #internationallife #internationalcareer #selfawareness #growthmindset #mindsetwork #selfdevelopment #personalgrowth #culturalawareness
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
9/9
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