What Nobody Told You About Being an Expat

Friends come and go, and as an expat that is extra true. Many believe that the life of an expat is easy because all they do is travel and get to work abroad. Truth is, it's not as luxiurious as it may seem.Growing up as an expat is very difficult, because you may not even know the language of the place you live in, much less the culture. You are too young to understand what is going on, and what everyone is saying. You are left to make friends simply by using your actions and facial expressions. You start to play with other kids but they may not think it's very fun to play with the kid who doesn't speak a common language with them. Because who wants to play if someone doesn't understand you. Later on life becomes a little more simple when you have learned the language but then comes the goodbyes to the friends you have made. People come and go every 6-12 months, and most of the time, it ends up being your best friends that move. You are left to make new friends again, but you're used to it. You've grown up with this system of never having much consistency in friendships, always having to think about not getting too close to someone because they will probably move soon. Until one day, it's you who moves.Moving somewhere new is always entertaining, and you learn so much, but you always miss the places you once called your home. The cultures are different, the people are different, but most of all, you are different. You learn how to act in the new place, how to fit in, and how to appreciate the place you live because one day, you may leave again. You realize while you live in the new place, that you know more about yourself now because you know what you like and don't like about countries. You learn about what you want in life. Moving back home is life changing. You're so used to visiting for 1-4 weeks, but never more than 6 months. You are used to to being big news as you come home, being people's priority, being interesting, having stories to tell, but now it's different. After a week or so, that feeling goes away, and you are one of them. You are no longer considered a different individual, you are simply a part of the population. You can no longer have an ice breaker about how strange you life as an expat is (trust me, it's a good ice breaker). You learned so much abroad, and start realizing how you and your old friends don't have the same opinion, and you separate for a while. Your back to making new friends in a new country. As an expat, there is never consistency when it comes to friends. You can never be 100% sure if you will have the friends you currently have forever. That's why you need to cherish your experiences with them as much as possible. Open your mind to different opinions and think about the different possibilities that you have received from this expat life. Your life would be boring without all these experiences. Sometimes friends come and stay, especially when there is true friendship between you.