🌎👉 The people who change you

When you move abroad, you expect the culture shock, the language barriers, and maybe even the homesickness.

What you don’t expect is how deeply certain people will shape you.

Some of them you’ll meet once and never see again — a taxi driver who tells you about his city, a neighbour who helps you find your way when you’re lost.

Others will become lifelong friends who feel more like family than the people you grew up with.

👉 Finding your people

At first, it’s hard.

You arrive in a place where you don’t know anyone, and everything feels unfamiliar.

You wonder if you’ll ever find real connections again. But then, slowly, you start to meet people — other expats who understand what you’re going through, locals who are curious about your story, coworkers who make you laugh when everything feels foreign.

Those first friendships abroad often happen fast.

You bond over shared confusion, over figuring out how things work, over missing the same small comforts from home. Before you know it, those people become your support system.

👉 Unexpected teachers

Some of the people you meet abroad will challenge you!

They’ll have different values, different perspectives, different ways of doing things.

At times, it might frustrate you. But it’s also what expands you.

You start to see the world through more than one lens. You learn patience, empathy, and adaptability.

Living abroad reminds you that people can think, act, and believe differently — and still be kind, funny, and human.

A new kind of family

Soon, your definition of “home” starts to shift. It’s no longer one place — it’s the people who make you feel understood wherever you are.

You’ll share holidays with friends from three different continents, learn recipes from a new culture, and realize that belonging doesn’t always look the way you imagined.

The people you meet abroad might not have known your past, but they’ll help shape your future.

If you’re about to move abroad…

Be open. Say yes to invitations, even when you’re tired or unsure.

Start conversations. Join local groups. Talk to your neighbours.

Because somewhere out there are people who will become part of your story — people who will make the world feel smaller, warmer, and more connected.

When you move abroad, the most valuable souvenirs are the people who change you.