My Expat Journey

Since she arrived in New Zealand more than 20 years ago, Nadine Plet dedicated her energy to creating a community around her far-away country - France. In this podcast, she talked about how she started the FRENZ association with a group of French-speaking parents that implemented the first French English Bilingual Education within the Primary Public School system in New Zealand. The first unit opened in February 1996 at Richmond Road School. Since then, it became so successful that three other units opened around the country.

She humbly acknowledges that she couldn’t have imagined how much impact it has on so many family’s lives.

The thrill and intrigue brought about by expatriation initially compelled Taino and his family to leave Sweden and test the waters of life somewhere — like New Zealand. Some years later, armed with decision-making skills, pursuing a passion in an unfamiliar environment, breaking self-imposed barriers, and other personal achievements, he decided to return home again, temporarily.

As soon as she finished her last exam for university, Ruby left her home country and flew to New Zealand to start anew and reunite with her entire family. Being competitive and an achiever, she's got no major problems settling in. Well, except for one — communication barriers. She was a direct, task-oriented, rough-around-the-edges kind of person, and Kiwis aren't. Fortunately, she’s able to adapt and learn.

Alexandra is no stranger to the challenges of living abroad. Having been an exchanged student herself in the U.S in high school, she knows how the cycle works. But when she got married to a diplomat and moved to Germany, she was confronted with significant differences.

Bridget is a confessed change junkie, which is evident in her expat lifestyle. Her transition from singlehood to becoming a wife and a mother of three all took place during her India-to-New Zealand-to-Singapore-to-New Zealand again journey. She has learned that moving abroad comes with a slew of positive, challenging, and less-than-ideal experiences.

Storytelling is part of my DNA. I find joy in telling stories and creating awareness through short films, series, and documentaries that I produce and edit. But after 18 years of working behind the scene, it's no longer enough. My passion has diminished. I wanted to be a part of the story and make a difference in other people's lives.

I long to share my experiences and valuable lessons as an expat and developmental coach to empower, forge personal ties, and command influence within the global community. I wanted to create a space where my fellow expats could share their experiences too. My Expat Journey was born as a result.

For a project manager who’s used to first-world comforts like Stephen, working in a developing country like Papua New Guinea proves to be difficult for many reasons. For one, he has to deal with the frustrations of living in a place with limited resources.

But, this beautiful gem in Oceania has its unique way of getting into your skin that he can’t escape from.

For today’s episode of My Expat Journey, we’ll talk about something relevant and present in every moving-abroad journey —  the Expatriate Adjustment Cycle or simply Expat Cycle.

Turns out, the excitement, culture shock, homesickness, frustration, and other relatable emotions that every expat experiences have psychological explanations. They manifest in different stages and exist for reasons. How come? Tune in to find out!

As someone who grew up in the U.S, Kim wants her husband and children to live in a bigger, better world outside her homeland and its political frenzy. And that means New Zealand. The amazing environment, adaptable culture, familiar language, and easy visa procurement make it the best option for relocation.

But, life as an expat in the Land of the Long White is not always sunshine and roses.

Uprooted to her motherland as young as seven years old, Aysegul understands that backs and forths are constant backdrops of expatriation — moving to another country, relocation logistics, cultural adjustments, job opportunities, and speaking mother tongue and English. For that reason, a career as a global mobility practitioner easily became a conscious decision.

A strong Bulgarian root and adapted Londoner lifestyle for 18 years, as much as they’re Gergana’s pride, they’re also the same grounds why the idea of moving to a country as small as New Zealand is not appealing. But, the need to raise her children outside Swinging City’s rat race and go somewhere conducive and outdoorsy is the main priority.

Driven by the goal to look for a better quality of life, Ondina’s family left Italy and traveled to Australia through a ship in 1959. But as challenging as it was for them to cruise through the continent, embracing both cultures proved to be as difficult for her younger self.

The need to leave the comfort zone, fly from the roost and burst the bubble is a strong calling for Julie, and so off she went. Five cities later, along with learnings about coping with guilt, compromises, resilience, and acceptance, she achieved just that!

For today’s episode of My Expat Journey, this empowered lady is joining us to recount her intention to get out into the world for self-discovery. And how she dealt with the good, the bad, and the in-betweens that come with such a choice.

For Fareeseh, life before expatriation was privileged and comfortable. But when her family moved to Sweden, Northern Ireland, Belgium, up to Dubai, things changed drastically for her as a wife, a mother, and as a person.

For Today’s episode of My Expat Journey, I invited this beautiful soul, a native from Karachi, Pakistan, to keep us company and talk about her journey and reflections after years of living as an expat life and finding a home in different countries. And how such an adventure made her realize that somewhere between those worlds, she continues to exist and finds joy on either side.

There are only a few things in life that can compare to the delight of finally coming back home. But sometimes it doesn't go as expected...

For Today’s episode of My Expat Journey, I invited a good friend of mine, Hannah Caunes, a native from Auckland who called it quits after years of living an expat life. She’ll talk about her experiences, struggles, challenges, and learning when she came back home - to New Zealand.

For today's episode of My Expat Journey, I'm going to get more in-depth about the impact of expatriation on children. 

For many adult expats, moving into a foreign country is already difficult. But for an innocent child, the emotional toll can be twice as much. 

For today’s episode of My Expat Journey, I’m going to open up about how expatriation took away my daughter’s safe bubble, my realizations about her struggles, and how we both finally overcame the difficult stage. 

Don’t forget to tune in! 

For today's holiday episode of My Expat Journey, I invited my friend Sonja Beckerhoff, a developmental coach who's currently living in Australia. 

It's going to be a heartwarming session as we’ll talk about celebrating Christmas far from family, practicing gratitude, mindfulness, acceptance, and making the holiday still merry and meaningful despite this year's adversity. 

Tune in now! 

For today’s episode of My Expat Journey, I invited my good friend, Else Carden-Lapierre, a painting conservator based in Auckland. We’re going to talk about how she kept her European roots and traditions alive, 20,000 kilometers away from home. Come and join us!