Tag Archives: Intercultural Adjustment

Five Safety Stops for Expatriate Health and Wellbeing

Cinderella

Expatriate Health and Wellbeing has been on my mind since the Pandemic. During the height of the Pandemic, my mother could not find yeast for weeks. Her village in southern Germany had a yeast shortage. We didn’t have a shortage of anything here in Zurich, neither toilet paper nor yeast, even though demand for both was higher than in “normal” times. I went to SPAR and bought five packs of dry yeast. The man at the post office laughed when I told him what was in the small parcel. My mother and aunt love to bake, even in “normal” times. The price for the package was higher than the value of the goods, but this was the only thing I […]

Why Culture Shock Is Different Than Depression for Expats


The holiday season tends to bring up a lot of existential issues and old wounds. We might be missing loved ones and we might feel a bit more low than usual. If you are about to embark on an international assignment or project you could also experience cultural adjustment. Acclimatizing to a new locale, new cultural norms and social practices, ever-changing pandemic rules, children with identity issues, an injury, or an elderly relative, who just fell a third time and needed to be hospitalized.  These challenges bring with them additional levels of stress and dealing with them every day inevitably results in mental exhaustion, especially if you cannot be there in person and have to support through WhatsApp calls. You […]