How does Expat life influence your relationship?

Moving to another country for your job may be exciting. It could be a promotion in your job, or the wish to make some new experiences in a foreign country, or accompanying your partner. Whatever the reason, your are confronted with a new and somehow different environment than you are used to. When you are going with a partner, which might be helpful, because you can share your obstacles or gossip about the host culture.

Everyone is different and has a different approach on how to use that time. One might really want to dive into the host culture, learn the language and want to make contact with the local population. The other one sees it more as being abroad for a limited time and sees no reason why he/she should make an effort to learn the language and get integrate.

Another difference might be, one has a job where he/she meets colleagues every day and the other one stays at home and has to search for new contacts.

A lot of questions might come up like: Who am I? How do I use this time abroad? How do I develop me identity? And if you have children,…what do I want to pass on to my children?

I work a lot with couples, who have an international or a multicultural background and I help them to find their way in this global world. The challenge lays in how to keep you own values, integrate some values from the host culture and develop your own identity.

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