How about homesickness when we decide to live outside our country? It is an important issue that we disregard when we embark on this adventure of living abroad.

We spend our lives trying to conquer our autonomy so that we can live independently. Then comes the day when we decide to take the step of living in another country, thinking that we are ready enough to take on this responsibility. Then the big day arrives, and the change takes place.

Homesickness is related to the family and friends that stayed behind, but it is also related to a whole life that stayed in our country, such as our work, history, habits, etc. In other words, everything that identifies us makes us who we are. Our identity is put to the test when we live abroad. So, the cultural shock happens, and all this becomes even more latent. It is often difficult to understand why we have to do things differently if we did them differently in our country and everything worked out fine.

Homesickness of family, friends, and who we were, is a hard barrier in the adaptation process. Many people divide themselves between wanting to live abroad, but they don't want to stop being who they are. When we don't know how to manage this conflict, we give up quickly, even before reaping the fruits of this experience, but this experience is gratifying. Everybody that decides to face this adventure suffers from these internal dilemmas, but they are part of the path. Knowing how to deal with the challenges makes all the difference in the success or not of this experience.

You don't need to stop being who you are; you don't need to leave your origins behind to live abroad. You need to know and understand the culture of the country you are living in, but at the same time, you can't stay stuck in the past, in the life you had in your home country. Don't make comparisons that won't take you anywhere except back home without having taken advantage of this opportunity to live in a different country as you would like to.

Being open to the new is perhaps one of the most important keys that need to be changed to broaden your worldview and come out of this experience more robust and with a luggage full of knowledge and stories to tell your family and friends.

Embrace Cross-cultural Solutions is a company dedicated to training and cultural mentoring to help people who want to live this experience in the best possible way, extracting the maximum of teachings and opportunities that living abroad can provide, smoothing the way, and helping in the adaptation process. We propose to facilitate your adaptation process in the new country. Our assistance can be provided before, during, and after your arrival.

Want to know more? Contact us, and we will be happy to talk with you.