Being from a different state or country, let alone another continent can be extremely overwhelming. Trust me, I know and so do some of you that did it too. I made the move from Zambia, Africa, to Tampa, FL 3 years ago. While I am well settled and extremely happy here now, when I first moved, that wasn’t the case. To begin with, I was only 16 and in university which was a life-changing experience in a lot of great ways. But at the same time, I couldn’t go places everyone could or do most things they could either (even stuff like rock climbing or paintballing) so being left out and feeling like I didn’t belong was a regular thing for me. There were definitely some hard times like my car crash and going through shoulder surgery, but there were also good times with good people. Every time, I look back on my first few years here, I say to myself: that was chaotic. But from the chaos came a strong person. So, if you’re moving, or just made the move, here’s my advice to you:
- Surround yourself with people who love and support you.
- Take problematic situations in stride no matter how stressful they are.
- Focus on you sometimes
- Lastly don’t take yourself too seriously because you’re growing and just because someone might be doing it faster or more gracefully than you, that doesn’t mean you’re falling behind.