Listen to Noomii's interview with Winifred Gaillard

About Me

Indeed expatriation is exhilarating thanks to the good working conditions however, it is overwhelming too. Having butterflies in your stomach expresses the feelings most expatriates face during relocation as we are caught between the thrills of the move and the anxiety of the unknown.
As a child, I moved from one town to another because my father was a police chief, it exposed me to different culture, beliefs and languages. Later on as an adult, I worked in different professions. First as a journalist, I enjoyed the roving nature of the profession. I also worked as a sales rep, as assistant PRO in the diplomatic service and the hospitality business which I discovered by chance. I enjoyed them all.
I greeted my first posting with much enthusiasm. I thought I was ready due to my past experience and didn’t consider culture, social and interpersonal relationship differences a barrier until I got there; and then reality struck: l had a taste of the famous culture-shock and excitement gave way to desolation. But thanks to my perseverance and strong personality, integration didn’t take long.
In my expat community, we had activities to promote social networking but nothing to help new arrivals integrate. Nervous breakdown, depressions, broken marriages and early termination of contracts was commonplace
To boost myself, I hired an expatriate life coach who helped me understand expatriation and how to live it successfully both as a trailing spouse and a mother of 3 third culture kids.
This collaboration influenced my decision to train as an expat life coach so as to enable my international clients’ transit smoothly into their host cultures.
If you are like me, you want to do it right, so let’s talk and see how I can help you…