Live: For those feeling alone abroad

 (Photo: in the Andean hills, Alto Naranjo, near Santiago)

This weekend, I had problems with the flat I was living in and had to leave. The hot water had been cut off, the bathroom was broken, and my flatmate had been having parties nearly every night, which left the place trashed. When the landlady/my flatmate's mother demanded an explantation, I was blamed for the mess. Instead of trying to argue in Spanish, I decided it was better to leave. This situation made me feel alone and depressed. I got on well with my flatmate and we were supposed to be friends.

Luckily I managed to find another place to stay. I got a lot of support from other English and Chilean friends and it's all okay now. But after everything that happened, it suddenly hit me that I didn't have a home here. It pushed my confidence right down and made think that I didn't belong in Chile. 

You may think that because you're on your own in a foreign country, you have to deal with your problems alone, but you really don't have to. Now and again, we all need reminding how to pick ourselves up from feeling low whilst living abroad,

So here's my pep talk in (a very rough) poem form:

Life in another country can be a stress,

As everything is new, it's easy to get in a mess,

Even the little problems seem like a big deal,

Such as missing the bus, it can make you feel,

Like you can't do anything right, like you don't belong,

And these feelings get worse if you hide them too long,

The best thing you can do, is to share your pain

Remember you are not alone, every foreigner feels the same

Lost, upset, and on yourself you put the blame,

So when you get worried, or if you have doubts,

Take your problems from the inside and turn them out,

I know you're thinking that no one understands,

What it's like not to fit, there's no one to hold your hand,

But all over the globe, there are many people like you,

Who live far away from what they're used to,

So let's share problems, not bottle them up,

Because wherever you are in the world, you have friends, even if you don't realise it. 

Never keep problems to yourself! Share them with your support network:

Friends and family back home- confiding in close friends and family can immediately make you feel more comfortable and relaxed. 

Other people from your country living abroad- these friends will understand what you're going through and will maybe have felt the same.

Local friends- talking about your problems with local friends can help you feel happier in a foreign country, as they make you realise that you're not really on your own.

And....

DO NOT: stay locked up in your bedroom or house alone

DO: arrange to do something with friends that makes you happy to live in your new country (for me in Santiago, this would be going to a restaurant for BBQ and pisco sours).