Being a globetrotter aka expat mom can be a fun and wonderful adventure.
However, moving with your family to a new place is also very often emotionally engaging and stressful. Enthusiasm quickly gives in to nostalgia, sadness and fear of the unknown.
Is it going be ok? - Will I adjust easily? - Will I manage all by myself with the kids?, are just few of the questions that keep moms up at night in the days leading to the move and in the first weeks, or months, of settling down.
I am, myself, a globetrotter mom. Over the last ten years I followed my husband in seven different moves –Geneva, Milan, Taipei, Montreal, New York City, Shanghai and most recently Tel Aviv– seven cities, seven countries, three continents, two kids and many boxes.
I would go back to any of these experiences. Each has been wonderful, enriching and has made me who I am.
Hearing my children speaking in different languages, seeing how adaptive and open they are to any culture, makes me realise how beneficial the experiences have been for them.
However, it was not without the difficulties, setbacks and moments that I just wished to pack a suitcase, go home and leave everything behind.
As I became more experienced with these moves, I realised that not only they come easier for me each time but most of all that sharing my knowledge and feelings with other expat moms turned out to be very reassuring.
A relocation experience, is a moment of “greatness” for the husband. A new assignment, usually a promotion, a beefed up pay package, a lot of attention and assistance in the office to adjust quickly and thrive.
But for the mom it is the complete opposite. She has to leave her job and her immediate social/familial network to find herself at home in a new country all day and with all domestic tasks. When it happened to me, I felt alone and disoriented.
Companies spend fortunes on relocation agencies. They help you find accommodation, process documents such as driver license or registering with the tax authorities. These are very useful of course. But since they focus on the procedural elements of the relocation, often with online tools and little human touch, they typically fail to provide the one thing you need the most right now : understanding and caring new friends you can trust and feel comfortable in asking for help when needed.
However, moving with your family to a new place is also very often emotionally engaging and stressful. Enthusiasm quickly gives in to nostalgia, sadness and fear of the unknown.
Is it going be ok? - Will I adjust easily? - Will I manage all by myself with the kids?, are just few of the questions that keep moms up at night in the days leading to the move and in the first weeks, or months, of settling down.
I am, myself, a globetrotter mom. Over the last ten years I followed my husband in seven different moves –Geneva, Milan, Taipei, Montreal, New York City, Shanghai and most recently Tel Aviv– seven cities, seven countries, three continents, two kids and many boxes.
I would go back to any of these experiences. Each has been wonderful, enriching and has made me who I am.
Hearing my children speaking in different languages, seeing how adaptive and open they are to any culture, makes me realise how beneficial the experiences have been for them.
However, it was not without the difficulties, setbacks and moments that I just wished to pack a suitcase, go home and leave everything behind.
As I became more experienced with these moves, I realised that not only they come easier for me each time but most of all that sharing my knowledge and feelings with other expat moms turned out to be very reassuring.
A relocation experience, is a moment of “greatness” for the husband. A new assignment, usually a promotion, a beefed up pay package, a lot of attention and assistance in the office to adjust quickly and thrive.
But for the mom it is the complete opposite. She has to leave her job and her immediate social/familial network to find herself at home in a new country all day and with all domestic tasks. When it happened to me, I felt alone and disoriented.
Companies spend fortunes on relocation agencies. They help you find accommodation, process documents such as driver license or registering with the tax authorities. These are very useful of course. But since they focus on the procedural elements of the relocation, often with online tools and little human touch, they typically fail to provide the one thing you need the most right now : understanding and caring new friends you can trust and feel comfortable in asking for help when needed.