What It’s Really Like To Be An Expat

Travelling is one of my favourite things to do. For me there is nothing more exhilarating than exploring different cultures, cuisine and ways of life. While short holidays give you a taste of this, there is nothing like actually living in a different country. 

I have been lucky enough to travel all over the world since I was 18 years old and stay in different countries for extended periods of time.

My first experience was when I had just turned 18. My sister and I had saved for months to be able to spend just over a month living and dancing in LA. We had never been overseas before so this was huge for us. It was one of the best and scary experiences of my life. We did do some tourist things around Hollywood, but our main focus was to train. Me, being 4 years younger than her wanted to go wild. Lucky for me my big sis was much wiser than me and made me realise a 4 day trip sleeping on a beach in Mexico with strangers probably wasn't the safest thing to do!

A couple of years later I got a contract performing in Singapore. Ahh Singapore ♡ I will forever have a very special place in my heart for this beautiful country. I was so thrilled for the experience and I learnt many lessons fast. even though I was surrounded by new friends and it was only a 7 hour flight home, I felt so far away.

Homesickness is very real when you live overseas. Friends and family stop contacting you daily which can make you feel forgotten. When you miss family events your heart feels broken. It's even worse when you return years later and people are still reminiscing about the Christmas or 70th birthday you missed out on. 

Nevertheless I would not change my experiences for the world. While everything always seemed to stay the same at home my soul was changing. My dreams were coming true and I was making new life long relationships. I ended up living i Singapore for 14 months and still go back every year for a holiday with Vadzim as it's the place we fell in love. That city holds so many special memories for us like our first kiss in the rain (yes that really happened) or a memorable meal at a cafe. These are the moments that make being an expat so unpredictable and addictive.

Fast-forward a year to our Wedding in Belarus. Yes that's right, I got married in Belarus and lived there for 3 months. This was a huge eye opener for me because I was living with my new family who did not speak a word of English. They taught me how important family was and showed me so much love. Coming from the western world I quickly realised how materialistic I had become and lived with such unnecessary abundance. This experience changed me the most am I am forever grateful for this.

I have spent long periods of time in other countries such as Thailand, Japan and America multiple times but the experiences I mentioned have been the most significant in my life.

Now I am living in Dubai. It is such an exciting city to be living in and my experience is extremely different from my wild party days in Singapore. I am happily married, I live in a studio apartment and am happily working on my blog while healing from Graves' Disease. This journey in my life has only just began and I am sure I will have much more to report on in a years time when I fully settled in and am living like an Emirati. 

So what are the biggest lessons I have learnt from 12 years of travel and living abroad: 

• Home always stays the same and will always be there when you return.

• If you miss someone don't wait for them to call. Pick up the phone and give them a ring. 

• Try everything. Be a "yes" person. Live out of your comfort zone. 

• Don't fall into your comfortable patterns of home. Try new things daily like waking up earlier to mediate at sunrise, ordering new things at restaurants and making new friends from other countries. 

• Familiarise yourself with local customs and laws to avoid sticky situations. 

• Don't be afraid and don't give in to homesickness.