Reflections From Life Abroad

Every chapter has a beginning and an end. This one ends with our move back to Toronto!

This chapter began November 2017 when we flew to London for a short pre-move visit. On that trip we familiarized ourselves with the city, chose a neighbourhood, found a house and identified a nearby school. Little did we know that those seemingly quick decisions would form the foundation of our West London life for the next 3.5 years.

Our time abroad has fed our souls through adventure. We have memories aplenty from restorative dips in the thermal baths of Budapest, to Spring skiing in the French Alps and visiting kid-friendly faves like Lego House in Billund. We’ve also wandered into lesser known sights like the café near the University of St Andrews where Will met Kate. Visitors and mini reunions with friends in London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and the French Riviera have kept us connected. The personal side of this adventure has been everything!

As my close friends and colleagues know, travel has been great, but life has not been easy. The less talked about aspect of being an expat is that it will test your resilience in more ways than you thought possible. The adjustment is hard and there is a lot to figure out. You will feel like a cultural outsider at times, and you will miss special celebrations and milestones back home.

Every chapter in our lives comes with a range of emotions. What grows with the passing of each chapter is the resilience you build along the way.

As I embark on this transition, I want to share 3 things I took away from the experience for the benefit of anyone reading this who may be wondering if an adventure abroad is for them.

1. My family is closer than ever. When you leave the comforts of what you know, all you have is each other. You turn trivial moments into expat memories, discover new favourites together and share moments of joy when you find reminders of home.
2. The gift of perspective and empathy. Cultural appreciation takes on new meaning as you immerse yourself in a new place. The life you build and the lifelong friendships you create help you rethink how you see the world. This is the most incredible gift.
3. Ability to focus on what matters most. This is a byproduct of your resilience being tested over and over. As everything around you takes on layers of complexity, you seek and create simplicity in life and at work.

As a leader the past 3.5 years has been transformative. One of my first team dinners was in Germany and brought together individuals from Poland, France, Germany, UK, Italy and myself from Canada. That moment started my learning journey on how to navigate the complex nature of the European region, how to appreciate cross-cultural differences in leadership and communications, and introduced me to new ways to have fun: Grünkohlessen!

Everything was normal in 2020 until it wasn’t. As I led an amazingly talented UK team through it all, we supported each other, shared laughs and shed a few tears. We led with creativity in chaos. This team of leaders introduced me to a new level of what being #proudlyMars means and they continue to inspire. For my UK team, my only wish is that we could have had more moments together like the memories we made in Birmingham.

This experience has been transformative because of the discomfort I’ve experienced and the failures I’ve learned from. 3.5 years on and I’m more connected to my values, clear on my leadership offer and trust my intuition as I follow a compass, not a map.

This week marks the beginning of the end to this chapter. While my heart is warm with the thought of reuniting with family and friends, I’m nostalgic in the moment. Amidst our growing to-do list, this reflection also serves as a personal reminder to enjoy life in the moment and cherish our last few months across the pond. It's important to pause and enjoy today, just as much as we plan for tomorrow.