Last week a friend invited me out for lunch. She wanted to talk about her experience of living two years in France. We have known each other for only a couple of months, but she was very open and honest with me. She told me that one of the hardest things for her was filling […]
Browsing the archives for the tough times tag
19 Feb 13
Reflections on Loneliness & Social Isolation
6 Feb 13
Bringing Back Meaning into Your Life
The honeymoon-period was over and it was time for me to face real life. I was without a job and without a plan. The abundance of time had come to me as a blessing during the first couple of weeks. During the weeks following, however, I was seriously missing a sense of purpose in my […]
21 Jan 13
Making Friends Abroad: Locals vs. Expats
Making friends as a kid is so much easier than as a grownup. Now it requires a bigger effort, no matter if you´re living in your own country or somebody else’s. Although it´s not the first time we develop a social network from zero, it feels very unfamiliar and unnatural. At home you were used […]
25 Nov 12
Discover the Power of Gratitude Journaling
The emotional rollercoaster of moving abroad is sometimes difficult to control. In the tumult of all the changes it becomes a challenge to stay our happy, outgoing, adventurous, positive-selves. If you have been having difficulty lately keeping up an optimistic attitude, starting a gratitude journal provides the perfect easy-to-start solution. Every day is a day […]
29 Oct 12
A Look Behind the Scenes of Foreign Cultures
Insecurities, irritations, misunderstandings, doubts, frustrations, hurt feelings… just to name a few of the negative emotions that expats might experience when diving into new cultures and customs. Those emotions are based on first and superficial impressions. Cultures exist out of different layers and the difficulties we come across are usually related to concealed aspects of […]
21 Oct 12
Why Study Abroad & Living Abroad are Worlds Apart
It´s a common mistake to presume that people with international experience, such as travel and study abroad, are made for expatriation. I love to travel, indulge myself into new cultures and learn foreign languages. Hence I believed life abroad was cut out for me and I wouldn´t have many difficulties to adapt. Moreover, I had […]
2 Sep 12
An Expat-Based Approach to Homesickness
BAM. There it is. It came out of nowhere. Something or some thought made you start crying like a baby. Did you see it coming? Nope, you weren´t prepared for it. Because you were actually doing fine. Or at least that´s what you thought you were doing. Homesickness hit you. Homesickness always creeps up unprepared. […]
- Hi there! I´m Marleen and this is my safe haven on the Web. I´m Dutch but I live in Guadalajara, Mexico. Here I share my adventures of living in a foreign country. Hopefully it inspires you to develop your own Evolution Abroad.
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