Monday, October 17, 2016

A Visual Emotional Guide to Overseas Relocation

Ok, let me be honest here. Moving to another country is a bit brutal.

Not only do you have to figure out what to do with all your stuff before you can go, but you also need to figure out how the stuff you are keeping is going to get to where you're going. Then once there, you need to figure out transportation, housing, visas, schooling for your child, work, phones, internet, and about a million other nuances that there's no way to predict in advance.

As I mentioned before, part of the reason we chose Chile was because we have family. Mark's sister Luz and her family have been super accommodating and helpful in our transition. Even with our support network (including my parents and sister whom I can facetime with whenever I need to whine), I still find myself experiencing a variety of emotions on nearly a daily basis.

Here follows a visual guide to what you can expect when you move your family to a foreign country...(my daughter has credits to the photos)...

Excited


Hey, everything's a adventure, right? OMG, I get to eat, travel, write, explore, eat, learn, be with my kid all the time, have quality time with my hubby, oh and did I mention eat? How cool am I? I'm living the expat writing dream!

Overwhelmed


Ok, my brain is officially on overdrive...there is so much to think about. And in Spanish! All the time. That means that at any given moment, I'm practicing in my head the next seven things I'll need to say. That means getting used to those vacant looks of confusion whenever I say something incorrectly. That means craving time alone with my ipad to watch Stranger Things and veg out in my own tongue.

Shocked


We tip the grocery baggers here? And I have to pay that guy who just waved at me in the parking lot to tell me I had plenty of space to back-up? You eat mayonnaise with what? Wait, those things are crazy! I'm in culture shock.

Frustrated


I have to wait in how many lines to get that done?

Sick


Oh gawd, the pollen! Why did I come here in spring? I'm allergic to everything and now I have a sinus infection. I can't even hear out of my left ear I'm so congested.

Productive


This is the ticket! This is what it's all about...learning new things and sharing my adventures on my blog. Then tweeting, facebooking, instagramming, emailing...and so forth.

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