As an Expat I’m Prepared for the Coronavirus Pandemic
How 10 years of living abroad have prepared me for the pandemic
Today’s world looks different from the one that I set off into when I first moved abroad from the United States to Egypt in 2010. Fortunately, along the way I’ve gained valuable skills that have become essential to coping with the current coronavirus pandemic.
My experiences abroad have resulted in lessons learned which are relevant to anyone currently in isolation.
Break your daily routine whether abroad or at home
Lesson Learned: Always remain slightly out of your comfort zone and see how many new things come into your life.
The cycle of living abroad always looks something like this:
- Move to another country, everything is new and exciting
- Explore, experience and search for a job
- Start new job and begin creating a routine while continuing to explore on the weekends
- Make friends, get stuck in a routine and eventually stop exploring
It’s easy to get stuck on the last step, simply watching movies at home and going out with friends. However, that’s not why I’ve taken my life abroad! I’m here to have new experiences like seeing a white wallaby in Tasmania or learning to dance flamenco in Spain.
Moral: Just like living in the same country or city after a while, you need to shake up your quarantine routine. Try something different each day or week and gain a new perspective on what living means to you.
Communicate with those back home (or in quarantine)
Lesson Learned: Always give your family and friends multiple ways to contact you and check in frequently.
Early 2011, Alexandria, Egypt: The Egyptian Revolution was just beginning and I was on lockdown in my house with furniture pushed against the doors and windows for protection. Luckily, I had given my landline phone number to my parents on a whim a few weeks earlier because at that moment the entire cellphone network and the Internet was cut by leader Hosni Mubarak. Thanks to that landline my mother was able to organize an evacuation flight to Germany that I boarded with a piece of paper on which I had written my ticket number by hand.
Moral: Contact your family and friends often and give them multiple ways to contact you. You never know when that information will be crucial. Right now we have fantastic options like Zoom that weren’t easy to access a decade ago.
Adaptation is a recipe for success in work, love and life
Lesson Learned: Always have a plan B, C, and X, Y, Z.
After packing up my life in Egypt in under 24 hours, I found myself faced with a bit of a pickle: what now? I’d been studying Arabic on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and had to quickly find another institution to continue my studies or give up my scholarship and go home. Within two weeks I stepped into a university in Granada, Spain.
I adapted rapidly to a new daily language, cuisine, prices and amount of skin that was acceptable to show in public as a woman. I completed my studies and went on to live in Spain for five more years.
Moral: say yes to change and see where it takes you. If you’ve lost your job or ended a relationship during the pandemic, maybe it’s time to sit down and write out options for your next step(s).
Get to know yourself (whether it’s living abroad solo or a bubble bath)
Lesson Learned: Always take time to be alone and enjoy your own company.
I’ve lived in six different countries and each time I moved, I didn’t know a single soul upon arrival. This has led to a lot of time spent wandering streets alone, dining solo, sharing once in a lifetimes experiences with no one else and learning exactly what I can and cannot tolerate. I know that I love wandering through foreign grocery stores, I loathe following maps and I enjoy the challenge of communicating in another language. I didn’t learn these things by tagging along with a buddy.
Moral: While it may be easier or more comfortable to survive lockdown with the distractions of other people and social media, take time to reflect on your preferences and choose to do things that you really enjoy.
While I never anticipated facing a pandemic, I’m thankful for the lessons that years of fresh starts in new countries have taught me and I hope they can help you survive these strange times
