Alone in a Crowd: The Second Wave of Expat Isolation

If you’ve been an expat for several years and you feel all alone . . . you’re not alone.

Surrounded by people and completely isolated.

That’s a common sentiment among expat newbies. The introduction INTO an existing team of expats can be an awkward mix of high energy ice-breakers, and jet-lag tainted orientations wrapped in the sobering reality that you know ZERO of these people.

“Hey everybody!! Let’s all scream ‘HI’ to the new guy who just got in at 3 am!! New guy, why don’t you stand on that chair, put on the “happy hat” and tell us your name, favorite ice cream flavor and most embarrassing experience with a toilet.”

Surrounded by people . . . and SO alone.

Here’s what they don’t tell you at orientation . . . it might happen again.

I once stood in front of a group of about a hundred expats at a conference and gave them a whole schpiel about welcoming the newbies. I did everything short of begging them to open their hearts and their homes.

“It’s hard to be new.”

“It’s hard to break in.”

“Give them a chance.”

Stuff like that.

When we were finished a 20 plus year expat veteran dropped a bomb that rocked my paradigm and opened my eyes to a broader reality.

“You know what else happens? The new people have come in behind us and now we are the ones who feel alone.”  

Wow.

That one interaction caused me to start asking a question to all of the longtime Stayers that I talked to.

“When was it good?”

What years, in your expat experience, were the best? When was it golden? Wonderful?

With very few exceptions they would give me a similar answer.

Years 3, 4 and 5.

Then their eyes would gloss over and they would start reminiscing. They’d smile and cry and laugh and tell stories of the glory days that almost always include something really painful that they wish they could go back to.

“There were bugs in our oatmeal and the electricity only worked when we didn’t need it . . . man, I miss that.”

It’s pretty clear that this one woman at the conference wasn’t the only one feeling it . . . surrounded . . . alone . . . again.

Here’s my best summary of what I think happens.

1. You work hard to find your tribe.
2. You find them and it’s wonderful.
3. They gradually move on and you gradually feel alone again.

Something like this

Veteran expats often feel less connected to a team than they once did. It doesn’t ALWAYS happen that way and everyone’s experience is unique but there is a definite, common thread.

Here are four thoughts about investing in longer, healthier connections

INVEST WIDER

Tribes are golden. Find your people. Do your thing. Build your story — but the moment you lock the door to your tribe the clock starts ticking. Global communities are transient and friends come and go. At least once a year consider how your circle of closest connections might best expand. You don’t have to be best friends with every, single person but you miss great relationships when you travel in a herd.

INVEST DEEPER (NOT JUST DEEP)

Going deep is hard but “hard” and “good” walk hand in hand. The challenge is that we typically see “DEEP” as an either-or option. We either bare our souls OR guard them. Sign on for raw vulnerability OR stick to surface chit-chat. It’s rich when instant, deep connections happen but it usually catches us off guard.

What would it look like, though, if you intentionally dug just ONE layer deeper into a wider range of relationships instead of waiting for that one magical moment with a kindred spirit?

You’ve got more options than deep or not deep. Go one deeper and see what happens

INVEST LOCALLY

Connect with people who aren’t going anywhere. Depending on your situation those relationships may be the reason you came in the first place or an afterthought cut off by the expat bubble. Regardless there is a sensical sweetness to engaging people who aren’t transient.

As a side note — when your time to move on does come around give those relationships proper respect. Locals who engage with expats get left a lot. You know how that feels. Don’t miss the opportunity to firm up the bond on the way out.

INVEST GLOBALLY

One of the great joys of expat life is the network of global relationships that grow up out of it.

Click here to read: Hello Again: The Unanticipated Bright Side of Perpetual Goodbyes

Don’t miss that. Work to stay connected even after the Goers are gone. Go out of your way to reconnect when you get within a reasonable striking distance.

The inevitable cycles of a cross-cultural life naturally bring seasons of deep connection and unexpected isolation — if you’re feeling stuck in that — try something unnatural. Intentionality moves the needle. 

https://www.thecultureblend.com/alone-in-a-crowd-again-the-second-wave-of-expat-isolation/