Expats and Emergencies Back Home
09/21/22 • 22 min
The very worst part of expat life. The Dreaded Phone Call telling you of the death of a loved one back home.
And yes, this episode was prompted, and triggered, by the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 2nd, as it came less than a week after the funeral of our own family member.
That Dreaded Phone Call triggers a whole heap of thoughts and emotions, that pile on quicker than your brain can process.
When you're living overseas and receive that call, the world feels huge and impassable, you feel small and out of control, and helpless. There is nothing you can do right now. It's beyond overwhelming.
Watching the news as Her Majesty’s children and grandchildren rushed to go to Balmoral to say their goodbyes will resonate with all, expat or not and parallels something many expats have to deal with.
Most of us don’t have a private plane to hail, or a helicopter standing by. And we don’t have staff to help with the kids, or get us to the airport or anything like that. Yet, even with all that help on hand for them, and being in the same country, they still weren’t able to make it to her bedside in time.
While our circumstances are wildly different, that journey is excruciating, regardless of your birth status. The journey will be burned into your memory yet blurred with pain as well.
I try to share the pain with you while, as ever, giving you some tips to help lessen the load.
- Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again! Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat.
- Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here
- Visit ExpatChild.com for more free information about expat life!
The very worst part of expat life. The Dreaded Phone Call telling you of the death of a loved one back home.
And yes, this episode was prompted, and triggered, by the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 2nd, as it came less than a week after the funeral of our own family member.
That Dreaded Phone Call triggers a whole heap of thoughts and emotions, that pile on quicker than your brain can process.
When you're living overseas and receive that call, the world feels huge and impassable, you feel small and out of control, and helpless. There is nothing you can do right now. It's beyond overwhelming.
Watching the news as Her Majesty’s children and grandchildren rushed to go to Balmoral to say their goodbyes will resonate with all, expat or not and parallels something many expats have to deal with.
Most of us don’t have a private plane to hail, or a helicopter standing by. And we don’t have staff to help with the kids, or get us to the airport or anything like that. Yet, even with all that help on hand for them, and being in the same country, they still weren’t able to make it to her bedside in time.
While our circumstances are wildly different, that journey is excruciating, regardless of your birth status. The journey will be burned into your memory yet blurred with pain as well.
I try to share the pain with you while, as ever, giving you some tips to help lessen the load.
- Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again! Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat.
- Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here
- Visit ExpatChild.com for more free information about expat life!
Previous Episode
Reverse Culture Shock and The Ex-Expat Club
Talking about reverse culture shock; the peculiar, alienating feeling you get when you move back home after living the expat life.
And I do realise that I’ve not actually spoken about normal culture shock on this podcast yet (that’s a topic for the future!) but I wanted to get this one in now after the visiting home episode last month. Because a form of reverse culture shock can hit you even when you make a short visit to your home country after moving overseas.
I’ll tell you what reverse culture shock is, how it shows itself and why it happens. And, of course, I’ll share tips on how to cope and work through any reverse culture shock symptoms.
You’ll also learn the first rule of Ex-Expat Club... !
“So, here you are
too foreign for home
too foreign for here.
Never enough for both.”
~ Ijeoma Umebinyuo
- Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again! Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat.
- Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here
- Visit ExpatChild.com for more free information about expat life!
Next Episode
Expat Guilt
Expat Guilt. The one topic guaranteed to fire some people up, the one topic that’s tormenting many of my readers, my groups, my tribe. The topic that gets the most attention, the most comments, the most bitterness, the most sadness and causes every shade of angst you can possibly imagine.
Expat guilt can ruin your life overseas as you’re so busy thinking of others that you can’t truly live your own life. But you're not alone - believe me!
Discover what expat guilt is about, what it’s for, how it can help you see your life choices from another’s perspective, and most importantly, how to manage these heavy feelings. Find out how to deal with your family’s feelings and how to cope with your own.
I’ll give you the tools to help you escape the trap of expat guilt and move forward to a happier life abroad without neglecting your family and friends back home.
Don't let expat guilt get in the way of the exciting life you deserve. You deserve to be happy in your life overseas!
- Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again! Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat.
- Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here
- Find my special 'Erase Expat Guilt and Reclaim Your Life' master class here
- Read my article on Expat Guilt on ExpatChild.com
- Visit ExpatChild.com for more free information about expat life!
- Take a look at my Expatability site for more details
"Guilt is a useless feeling. It’s never enough to make you change direction - only enough to make you useless."
Daniel Nayeri
Expatability Chat - Expats and Emergencies Back Home
Transcript
Welcome aboard the Expatability Chat podcast, helping expat parents navigate moving and living overseas with their families. With Carole Hallett Mobbs, expat life mentor and consultant and founder of Expatchild.com.
I'm Carole, your resident expat expert, and I'm here to help you live the expat life you dream about and deserve. If you're planning a move abroad, or if you're already living your expat life, or even if you're planning a move back home, you've come to the right place. In thi
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