My Journey of Self-Discovery as an Expat

My journey of self-discovery started as a young and curious adult the moment I decided to move from my home country Romania to France to pursue my passion for studying psychology. Little did I know the challenges that were awaiting me as an expat in a different country, culture and environment. Having landed all alone in a new chapter of my life in a new cultural environment, I quickly started to feel sad, lonely, anxious and depressed. 

On top of the stressors and anxieties that each freshman is experiencing in their new chapter of life, being the international student with a ‘funny’ accent, completely lost and confused about the cultural practices and habits of the host country, feeling homesick and with no close social support, will shortly take away from the joy and beauty of being a student. Being an introverted, shy and highly sensitive person as I have always been, made it more difficult to adapt to the new environment and socially integrate. But every challenging experience brings its lessons: that is when I became passionate about social and cultural psychology, in my quest to understand how being an expat impacts your mental health and well-being and shapes your whole identity. 

This curiosity pushed me to pursue an international master's degree in social and cultural psychology where I combined my two passions: studying psychology and travelling. This experience allowed me to learn the research and theory behind being an expat, migrant and international student, while reexperiencing every challenge myself again, again, again, and again, studying every semester at another university from a different country with its culture and new environment. The experiences I lived, the connections I made and the knowledge I acquired during these years, allowed me to develop the right skills to become a mental health counsellor and therapist: genuine empathy, strong active listening, and an open-minded, curious and accepting mindset. 

This journey to understand my nomad soul, allowed me to become my authentic self: empathic, genuine and dedicated to supporting the expat and migrant community in taking care of themselves, their mental health and well-being while navigating the cultural and social challenges of a new environment.