5 Emotions You Will Feel as A New Expat (Trust Me)

Ah, I remember being a new expat who had just moved to Calabria. The world was new and exciting, and I was eager to experience it all.

[Cue twittering birds and singing.]

Then reality set in.

[Record scratch.]

I was in a country that, while on the surface, had a culture similar to what I knew, still managed to surprise me with its differences. And while I spoke Italian (or so I thought), I was struggling to be understood…and to understand.

If you’re on the cusp of moving to Calabria (or anywhere else in the world), I want to prepare you as best I can for some of the unexpected emotions that are sure to arise.

1. Overwhelm

This is probably the first emotion that hit for me. As excited as I was to get out and meet people and experience Italy, I needed a nap after about 20 minutes of intense Italian conversation. Or going to the market. Or driving.

I always think back to when my son Max was a baby. I’d take him to the grocery store, full of visual stimulants, and by the time we got home, he was exhausted from trying to parse out all the colors and objects his baby eyes tried to process. I felt the same in my new home.