Reinventing Yourself As An Expat- A Few More Thoughts

Posted on 13. Jan, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Musings & Inspiration, Relocation
2 comments

A couple more thoughts about reinventing yourself crossed my mind.

Reinvention does not have to involve a crazy Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-type transformation. So hold off on getting that blue mohawk*! No need for anything outrageous but try and be mindful of what forgotten / never-acted-upon aspirations rise to the surface. You have been handed a more or less blank slate and you get to choose how to fill it, you lucky duck.
* Unless you really want one, of course. Who am I to say?

Moving to a new country gives you plenty of opportunities to be creative with your own life.

- You will probably need to adjust your daily routines to your new living conditions. While you are at it, how could you tweak the rest of your schedule to make time for something you crave, like a weekly tennis game or a candlelit bath before bed?

- You can completely change careers if that is what you feel like doing- and let’s face it, you may simply have to if you happen to be an accompanying partner. Only this time, you get to choose what you want to do. Not your parents, your teachers or a career counsellor. You.

- You may also find that the culture of your host country makes it possible, or at least easier, to explore new possibilities. Moving from France to Vancouver certainly did that for me.

Here is how: in general, Vancouverites tend to be far more open to spiritual and New Age-y stuff than your average Frenchman. This made it much safer for me to explore my spiritual side and find my path, without fear of being judged for doing so. It also allowed me to dabble in and eventually embrace yoga, which is now an important part of my daily life.

Canadians also tend to have different / more relaxed views of gender roles and what is or is not “proper” for a woman to do. This led to my foolish daring decision to try my hand at this most unladylike of sports, rugby, when I first arrived in Vancouver. I was not a natural for the game and prudently decided to retire after a while, but at least I was able to try it, instead of sitting at home wondering what it would be like.

Finally, no one in Vancouver batted an eye when I said that I would love to learn how to paint. This was a big stretch for me. My French friends would doubtlessly have found it hilarious, as they all knew that I could not draw to save my life. Thankfully, none of my Canadian friends knew that I had never gotten past the stick figure stage, so no one made a big deal out of it. There were no particular expectations that I would fail miserably, or that I had to be amazing at it or else (well, other than my own expectations, that is, plus those of a small army of Inner Critics…) So I was able to gradually expand my comfort zone- first doodling, then colour-blocking on a canvas, then actually trying to draw.

In all these different ways, living in a new country made it easier for me to grow and acquire new skills. No matter where in the world you end up living, new possibilities will present themselves. You can stretch yourself a little by trying new hobbies, or you can stretch yourself a lot by making major changes and redesigning your life from the ground up. Your call. There is no right or wrong way to do this, but it would be too bad to miss all these opportunities for growth.

How much have you changed since you arrived in your new country? How did the local conditions and culture influence your choices? Anything crazy or funny you would never have tried back home?

Emmanuelle

Related post: Reinvent Yourself