Embracing the Complexity of Belonging

Belonging – it's a concept that carries a multitude of meanings, emotions, and experiences, especially for those of us who have embarked on the journey of expatriation. As women navigating the intricaties of life in a foreign country, the need for belonging can sometimes feel like a challenging endeavour. But what does it truly mean to belong? And how do we navigate this journey when our sense of belonging is constantly evolving and being influenced by various factors?

Stepping back in time, belonging has always been a challenge for me growing up, I only realised how much so as an adult living the expat life. My parents immigrated to Australia from Egypt in the late 1960’s bringing with them a strong desire to keep our culture and faith intact within our household and lifestyle when they started raising a family. As a result I never felt I was Australian, nor did I feel I was Egyptian - identity in limbo. As challenging as that was, it provided me with tools I never knew I would need when I became an expat. Expating the way I have and bringing with me my past experiences, I began to realise early in my journey that belonging is more than just a physical presence in a particular place; it's a profound sense of connection, acceptance, and understanding. It's about feeling at home – not just in the four walls that surrounded me but within myself. Belonging after all is a feeling.

For some of us, belonging may mean bonding with the local culture and its people by immersing ourselves in the customs, traditions, and language of our host country. For others belonging is about finding their expat tribe – like-minded people who understand the unique beauty and challenges of living far from home. How ever belonging looks for you, the fact is that as humans we have an innate desire for connection and community. As expats we often find ourselves seeking belonging and we feel the need to belong because it helps to fulfil our emotional and social needs, providing a sense of identity in unfamiliar surroundings. As someone who relocated frequently and travelled extensively, the notion that my sense of belonging was somewhat tied to a connection to a place or a people did not seem plausible.

But belonging is not always a straightforward journey because it is not linear - it is multifaceted and can be rather complex for expats. Recognising this helped me to navigate through the different layers of belonging to find that space of peace within me. A sacred comfort that I carry wherever I go. That is not to say that I don’t experience moments of doubt, insecurity, and loneliness - I do, but I am able to navigate myself back to that space where I feel I belong in the moments I feel challenged more easily. How? I embrace these moments to learn more about myself, its an opportunity to identify which need is not being met at that moment in my life that it disrupted my safe space of belonging, and I work on it. It requires love, empathy and patience for oneself.

Belonging is a deeply personal experience. My journey, my values, dreams and experiences, my emotions, aspirations and perspectives have all played a role in shaping who I am. My source of belonging may be different from yours, we are all on our individual journeys? - the key is to learn what you need, what works for you. There will be commonalities of course, having a community where you and many other like minded people feel a sense of belonging is an example, but that is one source out of many to discover. Belonging is a continue journey of self-discovery.

What does belonging mean to you? How has your sense of belonging impacted your expatriate experience so far? Love to hear your thoughts!

With Gratitude, Navine Eldesouki

27/02/2024