Tag:

Crista Lindberg

How Not to Be the Jerk Back Home

by Crista Lindberg September 5, 2021

There are obvious, predictable downsides to living overseas.

You can brace for homesickness on a level that feel like a chronic stomachache. You’ll romanticize all the missing comforts of home — in my case, the smell of Downey fabric softener. You’ll count the days until your holiday visits or permanent repatriation.

But, nobody tells you about irreversible personality shifts you must balance with the utmost care when you do get “back home,” to avoid coming across like an arrogant ass.

I have behaved like a jerk — a big one, at times — when returning home after a cumulative six years spent abroad for my husband’s career with Nike. I’m going to share some of my unfortunate missteps with you, as a cautionary tale to help prevent others from behaving as poorly.

Bucket Listing Expat Experiences

Uniting the United States Through Culture Shock

by Crista Lindberg January 25, 2021

written by Crista Lindberg

It goes without saying that culture shock is part of the territory when relocating abroad — perhaps even bookended by reverse culture shock when repatriating years later! But another common challenge, far less discussed, is the culture shock you’ll experience within your own expat community.

You would think that being American would be enough to fit into an American community overseas. We’re just one big melting pot out of our element together, right? In my overseas assignments, however, I’ve observed social differences that seemed related more to regionality, rather than nationality. For example, many of the U.S. expats I met in Tokyo had transferred there from NYC’s finance industry — a culture equally foreign to an American from rural Oregon.

In light of current political divisions in the United States, and with a year of repatriation giving me the benefit of hindsight, I believe these fractures merit closer inspection.

Expat Experiences Trailing Kids

How Expat Life Prepared Me for COVID-19

by Crista Lindberg April 27, 2020

written by Crista Lindberg

Social distancing, digitally connecting, stockpiling supplies, wearing masks, homeschooling, working from home? My expat friends were the first to settle into these new norms, and are now seemingly unfazed. Meanwhile, my American friends who’ve never lived overseas were panicked or in denial from the start of this global coronavirus pandemic — and, weeks later, are still resisting new routines.

This has made me pause and ask: What really sets these groups apart? What critical skills have expats — trailing spouses, especially — mastered that are just now being learned by others facing unprecedented uncertainty for the first time?