Relocation can quietly unravel certainties, leaving expat partners questioning their role, purpose and direction. However, with the right support, this uncertainty can be the starting point of a new chapter.
A crisis of identity
When careers pause and familiar networks disappear, doubt will often creep into the mind of an expat partner and they may find themselves confronting some heavy existential questions – Who am I now? What matters to me? What should I do with my life? This sense of uncertainty can sometimes be overwhelming. It’s almost as if the less you do, the more unsure you become about what you even want to do. Rita Lopes, an expat partner now living in São Paulo, certainly knows this feeling well. A former civil engineer and a mother of three, she relocated to Houston, where she struggled to define her next step. Although she enjoyed studying art in the US, those same existential questions followed her to Belgium.
Helpful conversations
“By nature, I’m someone who has a lot of doubt, and I’m not very proactive, so I greatly appreciated it when Anelise from Global Connection got in touch. We arranged a call and it was so nice to chat with her,” Rita recalls. “After I explained my situation, and opened up about my feelings, she introduced me to a coach, which was a big turning point for me. With the coach, I discussed my passions and core values. She helped me to gather all of my ideas and dreams! And then she made a list that became an action plan.” For Rita, this structure – along with the encouragement of her coach and Anelise – made all the difference at a time when everything felt vague and unsettled.
Momentum builds confidence
She went on to take concrete steps – volunteering as an art teacher for kids at a favela, running workshops in her community, and collaborating with cultural institutions, all of which has given her a much clearer sense of what it is she wishes to do. “I now feel more confident and prepared for what lies ahead because I know what fulfils me the most – sharing my passion for painting and art history, and transmitting that joy I get from art with others,” she says. “I’m very grateful to the expatriating company and Global Connection for this partner support programme they offer – it validated me as a person and helped me to see who I am, what I care about and what I want to do.”
Photo: Rita (front, third from left) running a workshop
All Global Connection’s corporate clients are leading multinationals. Due to some of their policies, we do not use their name in public articles. However, expat partners signed in to our private Media & Network can see the multinational’s name.
