An expat perspective in COVID-19 times

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When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! Unusual circumstances call for innovative and enterprising solutions. The world has always bounced back from any global crisis with great resilience, be it wars or pandemics. No matter how much of a growth mindset we have, deep down we all fear uncertainty. Yet who else would know better what change and uncertainty mean than an expat?

I am from India and my expat journey started in 2001, from Dubai. It was an eventful year for me. I was expecting my first child and gave birth to my son among the commotion of 9/11. It was an eerie experience to be in the hospital in a foreign land, following news in a language that was new to me, trying to make sense of what was happening by watching the visuals, and trying to talk to people around who also spoke a foreign language. Immediately after the beginning of my expat life, I was faced with my worst fears – will this event cause a travel ban? How can my family at home reach me? How will I get home? Will this tragedy impact the whole world? Will the doctors in my new host country provide me with same health care that I had back home? Certainly, the repercussions were immense, but they were temporary. However, the aviation industry and the way we traveled were changed forever.

My son, who was born in the commotion of 9/11, is also a boy in the legendary class of 2020, yet another milestone of my life. Due to the global pandemic, I am once again faced with the same fears and vulnerabilities – how long will travel restrictions last? What if I need to travel back home in case of emergency? How does my medical insurance work during COVID time in my host country? And most importantly, how long will this pandemic and uncertainty last?

As I mentioned earlier, unusual times call for unusual solutions, and of course, like any other global crisis, this pandemic reinforces a new set of skills for my family and I. Living abroad, I have always relied on technology for staying connected to family and friends across the globe. As expats, we get good at maintaining long distance relationships, and this is a skill which has come in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For me, it’s not unusual to meet friends on Zoom with a cup of tea. Also, as an expat family, we rely on the immediate family unit more than those who are not used to moving around. It’s not uncommon for us to be stuck at home with each other (permanently quarantined together!). We’ve experienced this before while transitioning from one location to another. As expats, we have also become accustomed to not finding ethnic grocery stores or specific food items, so we become innovative: we make the most of what we have. This skill has helped me immensely during the lockdown and the shortage of supplies.

Expat life has taught me to cope with the unknown(s) and uncertainties. Yet among the uncertainties, my local Outpost in Houston has been a consistent source of information on my location and for regular virtual check-ins and activities. I have always considered Outpost as a place to meet like-minded people with the potential to develop strong relationships, and Outpost USA has continued to provide such support and services throughout the lockdown.

As most businesses have moved their work online amidst the pandemic, it gives me hope that expat partners may now find online work irrespective of their location. I am a counseling psychologist and this pandemic has opened more virtual work opportunities for me, something that last year was only a possibility, but is now a reality in 2020. These are my silver linings in the cloud of a global pandemic. What is your sunshine story?

Rubina is a Counseling Psychologist and an expat in Houston. Originally from India, she has lived in the UAE, Netherlands, and Brunei, and is currently an active member of the Outpost USA community.

 

A note from Outpost USA Focal Point Amy Clark:

The Outpost USA community has been checking in on its members through different channels (e.g. Zoom, What’s App, Facebook, emails etc.) and it’s brought a smile to my face to see that we genuinely care about each other, given that most of us are away from our families. We have all had travel plans postponed but have been sharing alternative options for entertaining and educating children and learning new skills ourselves. I have also been delighted to ‘see’ previously less-active members of our community dial in and speak up about their concerns. Despite the pandemic, we have continued to hold events via Skype and reach out to those who are relatively new to the States by welcoming them virtually to their Outpost location. The immense sense of community I have felt talking to everyone has been moving and I am looking forward to seeing some of you face-to-face soon. Outpost USA hopes to resume in-person events, if safe to do so and with precautions put in place, towards the end of summer. In the meantime, we continue our regular check-in calls and webinars. We are always here to help if you have questions, fancy a chat or want to connect with someone in the community.

Are you interested in sharing your own expat COVID-19 experience and story? If so, the Expatriate Archive Centre (EAC) in The Hague is looking for contributions for archival research. For more information, please visit: https://xpatarchive.com/initiatives/covid-19-pandemic-initiative/

Outpost Operations during COVID-19

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We live in extraordinary times. With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) declared a pandemic, the world is going through a period of uncertainty and change. Across the globe people are retreating to the safety of their homes and self-isolating. We are social beings though. While the different measures put in place to self-isolate are vital to our health, the effects can weigh heavily on our mental well-being. Fortunately, we live in an era when virtual communication technologies have become part of our everyday lives. So as current circumstances require us to physically distance ourselves from others, it does not mean that we need to become socially isolated. We can connect with our community, colleagues, friends, and family members in virtual ways.

Outpost remains committed to supporting Shell’s international community. Depending on location, needs and circumstances, local Outposts are offering its member various opportunities to communicate and connect virtually. From one-to-ones, to larger virtual gatherings, here are some of the recent highlights from local Outposts:

Outpost USA: organising fortnightly check-ins with all locations in the country and weekly virtual socials for partners with up to 44 employees and partners joining in; shared resources on well-being, keeping children occupied and working from home; hosted a workshop on personality testing with over 60 employees and partners participating.

Outpost Kuwait: hosting virtual connects for partners to share coping strategies, with at least 12 participants checking in; will post some of the ideas shared among the community for hobbies and physical activities during the lockdown period. The response from the community has been positive with members adapting well to the circumstances.

Outpost the Netherlands: organized a live webinar with Dr Anisha Abraham on ‘How to help kids cope’ in times of COVID-19 with over 45 employees and partners joining in; shares and translates latest news and update from the Dutch government on social media; posted motivational articles and tips related to COVID-19 on the website. Members were very pleased with the approach and appreciated the initiative

Outpost Rio: shared practical information on delivery services (e.g. groceries and pharmacies); organized a virtual session with a guest speaker on ‘Portuguese for medical emergencies in times of COVID-19’ and published the material on the website; posting updates about local measures on the website. The virtual session on health was helpful and reassuring for members.

Outpost Perth: created a new webpage called ‘COVID-19 latest’; hosted a live virtual cooking demonstration; organised a project to send uplifting messages and pictures to 120 care home residents in Western Australia who are unable to have visitors due to the coronavirus; maintains an active social media platform for members to connect and remain up to date on news and events.

Outpost Stavanger: hosts fortnightly virtual connects for STIA members to share practices and tips on how to stay fit and healthy during stay-at-home measures. Members were pleased to share their ideas and hear updates from others in the network.

Outpost Qatar: hosted a webinar on ‘Navigating COVID-19 with Resilience’ with Doha Empowerment Coach Anahi Brown; held virtual Arabic language classes; shared tips from the community on supporting kids and staying active; plans to host a virtual Quarantine Pub Quiz.

Virtual events planned for May:

The following is a selection of Outpost locations and activities. Please check your local Outpost website for more information and to register for upcoming virtual events. 

Outpost Calgary: will host a Virtual Coffee Morning and a Virtual Book Club once a month as requested by members.

Outpost Bangalore: will continue to host a series of webinars related to COVID-19. Topics for May include: What now? Changes and Uncertainties; Mental Health in the times of Covid-19; Strengthening your Relationships.

Outpost Trinidad and Tobago: will host a Virtual BINGO Night (May 2nd) and a Virtual SOKAFIT Class (May 13th) which is an interactive dance fitness class inspired by Trinidad and Tobago’s unique carnival culture, includes a blend of carnival dance moves, Soca music and a fully body workout.

Outpost London: will host a virtual talk about UK universities with guest speaker Ed Richardson, Director of Education at Keystone Tutors (May 21st).

Outpost Moscow: currently hosting a Virtual (outside-the-pub) Quiz with 15 questions about Russia. All those who participate will be part of a draw for a red wine bottle and those who answer correctly to all the questions will win a voucher for ‘I Love Cake’ (delivery available).

Outpost Brisbane: will host a Virtual Happy Hour (May 8th) and an online Yoga Class, followed by tips to stay fit and for a nutritional diet.

As individuals, and as a community and network, we have a responsibility to keep each other safe and follow the most up-to-date regulations and measures from official sources. We advise all members to stay informed of national government updates and check-in virtually with each other whenever possible. As expatriates living far away from family members and friends, the opportunity to stay ever more connected is vital.

Stay safe and keep in touch virtually.

Global Outpost Services (GOS)

Serendiptity and Career Success

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International career consultant and co-author of A Career in Your Suitcase, Colleen Reichrath shares three simple actions you can take today to kick-start your career in a new location.

 

 

This is the last article in our career series for this year. In previous articles we looked at Melissa Frost’s personal journey and how she reinvented herself in every new location. Then we followed Dr Ginna Minton’s efforts to stay within her profession despite relocation after relocation. Finally Colleen provides a practical approach illustrated by her own journey.

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”

Mark Twain

When you shrink from the change you miss opportunities; instead rise to the challenge and take Twain’s advice to heart.

Here are two snapshots from my own story that describe how I found opportunity and embraced it leading to a new adventure in my life.

 

Snapshot 1
My goal for the first year after moving to The Netherlands from Canada were to learn the local language and then find work. I read the free newspapers to practice my Dutch and came across a new foundation whose values matched my own. They were looking for volunteer fitness instructors – something I had once been certified in.

I gathered my courage, practiced what I would say, and called the number to explore the possibility and a meeting was set. Arriving dripping wet having cycled in the rain to the interview, I described why I was interested in the opportunity which was ‘leading a fitness class in Dutch would be a step towards facilitating career workshops in Dutch’. They said they’d get back to me…

A week later they offered me a different role, to provide a workshop helping their volunteers identify their competencies. It was exactly the step I needed but not one I would have dared to ask for at that point.

Two months later, armed with translated materials, the basic Dutch words needed to facilitate, and a lot of nerves, I delivered my first workshop to 10 volunteers from the Piëzo Foundation.

When Piëzo invited me to have a stand at their International Women’s Day fair, with their encouragement, I said yes. My stand was located next to the local independent labour advisor. I asked the advisor if he would provide feedback on my Dutch CV. He agreed and when I met with him a week later, he had already shown my CV to a colleague who ran an employment program. He introduced us and I was invited to attend the program as often as I wanted – a sort of unofficial internship. The opportunity allowed me to learn more about the Dutch labour market, government support systems for career seekers and gain experience supporting people with the creation of their Dutch CVs.

After a month I was invited to provide snippets of training in the program and within four months they asked me to fill in for a coach at the last minute. That opportunity became my first paid contract as a freelancer delivering career development training in Dutch. I had achieved my first goal!

Although the time from contacting the Piëzo Foundation to my first paid contract was only 8 months, it felt like a long time as I had not known where the first step would lead or the exact route that would unfold.

 

Snapshot 2
Fast forward two years: I was a new mom and had joined international groups in The Hague to meet people. Through this I met Jo Parfitt and shared with her my crazy dream to write a book about moving my career to the Netherlands for love. Jo, a writer and publisher, encouraged me to do so. Although it felt a bit silly at the time, I didn’t want to regret not following through, so I scheduled a meeting with Jo. When we met, she offered me the opportunity to update and revise her book, A Career in Your Suitcase (CIYS).

As with the Piëzo Foundation, this was something I had not nor would have thought to ask for. Recognising the idea had potential, I sat down to read the book. The heart of it is Jo’s own story and while her career development research was spot on, there were ways I felt I could contribute to make it stronger. I said yes! It was the perfect fit as I was at still at home raising my young child.

We published the 4th edition two years later and since then I’ve been carrying the CIYS torch. I regularly come across people who tell me how much the book helped them to get their career going after a move. It is incredibly fulfilling to be a part of their stories that way.

 

Approaches that made a difference for me:

1. TAKE THE FIRST STEP – take one small step in a direction you want to move and trust that another small step will reveal itself.

Try it yourself: What is one small first step you can dare yourself to take this week? Share this with someone and ask them to check in to make sure you did it.

 

2. GO WITH THE FLOW – say YES to opportunities

I used a core principle of improvisational theatre to accept offers and advance them by simply saying YES, AND….

There is no predetermined script for your journey, you make it up as you go. Use YES, AND… to generate career momentum and flow

Try it yourself: if someone offers an idea or suggestion, say YES, AND… to accept and advance their offer. With the ‘and’ you can steer it in a direction that suits you. What you want to say after the AND will come to you once you say YES!

 

3. DO IT TOGETHER – Nurturing and prioritising relationships is another way to create opportunity and possibilities and it helps with the isolation, common when you move to a new country.

To create connections, I joined social and networking groups, a professional association, a choir and a sport school and then said, YES… AND to the connections and opportunities that resulted.

I voluntarily shared what I know, creating new connections by helping others and that led to more opportunities and let people see and experience what I could do.
I asked for and accepted help. People are more inclined to help when asked for something specific and when you are also sharing what you know for a win-win.

Try it yourself: Write down the names of, (or be on the lookout for), three people or groups you want to connect with and initiate contact with them.

 

Now, looking back at my journey it all makes sense; hindsight is a wonderful thing!
At the time there were no guarantees how it would work out, it felt risky and although I was tempted to shrink back from the challenge, I’m glad I took those crucial steps.

 

There’s more to the Mark Twain quote I shared at the beginning.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did.
So, throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

 

If you are Interested in career guidance Colleen can be reached via her website www.cjscareers.com