Expatriation is a wonderful adventure.
But… far from our family, our friends, we are quickly overcome by the Solitude of the Expatriate .
When I arrived in Morocco 2 1/2 years ago (at the time of writing this article), I didn’t know anyone and I no longer had any points of reference.
I didn’t dare go buy a baguette and didn’t want to drive anymore. However, I am naturally independent and resourceful, but I felt helpless when faced with the language barrier.
Today I feel much better in my host country, for nothing in the world would I turn back and I no longer feel the Loneliness of the Expatriate at all .
How did I do it?
Discover right away the 4 unstoppable solutions that allowed me to no longer feel alone.
Social Networks: 1st line of defense against the loneliness of the expatriate
Whatsapp
And to think that at one time, we had to wait weeks before receiving a postcard! There is a lot of pleasure in receiving a pretty card for the holidays, but when we are expatriates that is not enough.
My favorite social network is definitely WhatsApp. Even my 2 grandmothers have gotten smartphones so they can communicate with us via the app (how adorable is that?)!
Here’s what it allows us to do:
Free calls and texts;
Free video calls;
Create a family group or join expat groups from your city/country.
I sometimes communicate with my mother every day, as if I were still in France. And we created a family group, which allows us to communicate as a family, to share photos/videos of our daily lives. For my loved ones, as for me, it almost makes us forget that we are far away.
Facebook
I like Facebook less, it wastes a lot of time, but it is the ideal network to find expats near you . You just need to find groups like “expat in xxx”. They are a mine of information, good tips and you can ask all your questions there.
It is also on Facebook that we find contacts to join WhatsApp groups, especially for second-hand sales between expatriates . When we are fans of sales, purchases on leboncoin, this consoles us a little.
More generally, it allows us to meet people and benefit from the experience of the “old ones”. The only drawback is that we tend to stay among French people and this does not make adaptation easier, especially for the language.
Learn the language of the country of expatriation
When doing marketing, it can be seen israel whatsapp number data 5 million that an ad is being shown in front of many people at the same time or is being given with a printing ad. In this case, it can be seen that not everyone is equally interested in this product. Which is not expected. In this case, those who are curious about the product basically fall under Productive Marketing. Those who are left out have little to expect from company. The greater the number of people who are not interested, the greater the marketing failure.
I, who did not understand how one could live in France for years without learning French… my outlook has changed a lot.
Because it’s not as simple as it seems…
Firstly, when you are a stay-at-home mum or mumpreneur , you spend a lot of time at home looking after your children and it is not easy to find time for lessons (at least while they are not in school).
Then, human nature makes us choose the easy way out: in Morocco, many people speak French, so we don’t make the effort to speak Arabic, or we’re afraid of being ridiculous.
I first took online courses , then private lessons at home . I can read and write Arabic, I generally understand the meaning of a conversation, but I still have a lot of trouble conversing. Total immersion is certainly the best solution to quickly learn the language, integrate and overcome the loneliness of the expatriate .
Choose a city with expatriates
Speaking the language allows you to be independent and to create friendships with people from the expatriate country. However, and this is just my opinion, I feel better with expatriates because we have the same lifestyle, the same problems and necessarily more in common. I am not at all in favor of living in self-sufficiency between French people, but it is still important to have a few adventure buddies with whom to exchange so as not to feel the loneliness of the expatriate .
You have to find a happy medium and it’s not easy.
Web entrepreneurship
This may seem surprising to you as a solution to the loneliness of the expatriate, and yet web entrepreneurship allows me to meet new people every day, and I have never felt so surrounded.
First of all, thanks to the various online training courses I have followed, in particular the Web Writing Training course by Lucie Rondelet. There is an impressive solidarity and goodwill between the members of her Facebook group, I have made several virtual friends with whom we share our projects, our questions.
It’s the same state of mind that I found on Instagram , since my challenge 1000 subscribers in 1 month . I only met enthusiastic and supportive people , there is no unhealthy competitive spirit. I imagine that it exists and that I must not be too naive, but for now, I am amazed, it has nothing to do with the rivalry that reigns in certain companies.
As you can see, web entrepreneurship is the ideal ally for expatriates , whether financially, morally or socially.Between daily tasks, children, work: the elliptical bike often ends up serving as a coat rack…
Going for a run or taking classes at the gym can quickly become complicated: you have to find someone to look after the children and have time on your hands.
In short, looking for a miracle solution to lose my pregnancy pounds , a blogger gave me a fitness challenge at home. Being unable to follow a diet, I tried the experiment and the result went beyond my expectations.
3 good reasons to do sport when you are a mother
1st reason to exercise at home: lose your pregnancy weight
Of course, weight loss is one of the main reasons that new mothers want to exercise . Apart from the Princess of Cambridge, I don’t know many mothers who leave the hospital with a flat stomach . I didn’t have a lot of weight left to lose , but I didn’t feel good about my body, which was marked by pregnancy and the kilos accumulated before getting pregnant.
In her challenge , the creator insists on taking into account your measurements rather than your kilos. Indeed, muscle weighs more than fat, so this can distort our judgment on our results.
After 6 weeks of home fitness exercises , I lost 3 kilos, but in appearance it really looked more. And without dieting , I didn’t gorge myself on sweets, but I didn’t pay attention either. My figure was reshaped and above all, I had found a huge boost of energy.
2nd reason to practice sport as a mother: to have a boost of energy
I was told that doing sports in the morning would get you in shape for the rest of the day. I didn’t believe it, and yet, very quickly, I realized that I was much more efficient when my day started with my sports session .
The first week was difficult because of the aches and
pains , but the body gets used to it very list of cell phone numbers in europe targeted quickly. To the point that I wondered if I was doing the exercises correctly, because I no longer had any pain from the 3rd or 4th week of the sports program.
Getting back into sport was like a rebirth: mentally and physically, I felt stronger, more dynamic. Doing sport when you’re a mother helps to chase away the lethargic state you can find yourself in after nights interrupted by a crying baby.
3rd reason to do sport with your baby: shared pleasure
You might think that playing sports with a child is restrictive, but for me, it was pure pleasure.
During the abs or core workouts , she enjoyed climbing
on top of me. Sure, the exercise was chine directory tough, but that made it all the more effective and fun. I really took the challenge as a pleasure, not a constraint. For me, it’s really the perfect program to fit into the busy schedule of mom’s life.
The challenge I followed: the ideal program for an overwhelmed mother
Exercises to do at home
The fitness program offered comes in 2 formats:
the content of the challenge in PDF format
the training program on mobile application
