Before she embarked on her expat journey in 2017, expat partner Davia Beharie-Williams had been working full-time for 23 years: “I never had a chance to think about what else I wanted to do with my life.”
Expat journey begins
“It was some time after we arrived in Papua New Guinea that I was able to take a step back and realise how happy I was to have taken a career break,” says Davia, a former banker from Jamaica, now living in the Netherlands. “There was a wonderful and active community in Port Moresby that made the cultural adjustment quite easy. For the first time in my adult life I wasn’t working, but I always felt like I had something to do or somewhere to go…”
Fulfilling expat life
“I actually took a finance course, perhaps thinking of resuming my career in the future. But I was finding great fulfilment in the rhythms of general expat life. I became a member of the All Nations Women’s Group and, after two years, I joined the Executive Committee, helping to organise various events, including volunteering, fundraising and donations,” says Davia. “What’s interesting to me is that I wasn’t a very social person back in Kingston – perhaps I was just too busy! But in PNG, I became much more outgoing and it felt great to have discovered this new side to my personality.”
Eye-opening experience
“It’s been a very different experience in Amsterdam, a city where it’s harder to build close relationships, but I have continued to learn and grow,” says Davia, who took classes to learn basic Dutch, wine tasting, photography and interior decorating. “I also completed two intensive courses with Landmark Worldwide. The methodologies are perhaps non-traditional, based on ontology, but the courses provide valuable insights into how we can be our authentic selves, and how that impacts how we view and experience the world. It was a truly eye-opening and revelatory experience for me that I’d recommended to others.”
The journey continues
“When I worked full-time for so many years, I never had the time or opportunity to explore new things. The expat partner support program has opened the door for me to learn and grow in so many ways and I think it’s very beneficial for me, as an expat partner, to get to know who I am. It helps me to be flexible and stay open to change. Now I really understand the value of what you do at Global Connection, so thank you!”
Photo: Davia Beharie-Williams
