Your Toolkit

We invited Carolina Porto to speak about her new book for Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking expats and internationals, Lar Mundo Afora and Un Hogar Lejos De Casa respectively.

Carolina is also one of my most favourite people in the international community. I have so much respect, love and admiration for her!

Carolina, who is also a mentor and consultant for Families in Global Transition (FIGT), has moved 11 times over the last 20 years – so she knows all about the ups and downs of a mobile life. Her book offers comprehensive guidance on how to create your home away from home through both stories and a clear process.

Catch the full interview in English here. (You can also find the Portuguese version here.)

In the interview, Carolina discusses:

• Why, after noticing that most expat resources are written in English, she wrote a book that “talks to the Latino population”.
• Why it’s important – and helpful to the success of your relocation – to ask yourself “What is home for me?” before moving abroad.
• Why she recommends cultural training as a way to learn other social norms – how others think, work, even queue! – so that you can learn flexibility and find ways to both respect and approach these norms.
• Why the risk of depression may be higher for accompanying partners and how defining your role – with your partner if possible as well as with the support of a mental health practitioner – can help to make the transition easier.
• How culture shock is like a cold shower! Her main tip? “Go out” – whether you’re an introvert or extrovert – so that you can build relationships outside of the house.
• How learning the local language (even if it’s just a little) makes a huge difference to ease the process of settling in abroad.
• Why curiosity is an important quality: “Curiosity is the soul of the expat or immigrant. As long as we are curious, we have space to grow…”
• Plus plenty of other tips to help ease your transition abroad.

Find the English version here and the Portuguese version here.

PHOTO: Cowomen/Pexels

Did you enjoy this interview? What insights did you find most helpful? Please leave a comment below – we love to hear from you!