Girl in Florence

A Tuscan Texan immersed in Florentine life

17 Tips on How to Stay Sane Abroad

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
WhatsApp
Email
Print

Like any expat living abroad, I occasionally go through bouts of mild hair-pulling insanity. This normally happens during permesso (visa) renewal season, when I forget something in my apartment (three floors – no elevator) or when I trek across town to file a document only to realize that they close every day but on certain interchangeable mornings decided only by god. It can be quite naturally to wonder, am I so masochistic to change my life so much that I have to not only fight to stay in the country but make less money & smile while doing so?

Luckily, I have called Italy ‘casa bella casa’ for around eight years and I am pretty damn happy, but it wasn’t always the case which why in the spirit of Friday I had to write this fun post about staying sane abroad. Please comment, add your own tips and share the fun :), I might even buy you an espresso!

1. Be Flexible & Smile

Sounds a bit like a yoga move but what I am referring to is the very real ability to relax, take a breath, expect to not ‘get your way’ and just roll with the punches. Example: “Oh this document that I paid 50 euros for someone to translate isn’t the one you needed after all” resulting in you going crazy in the office teaching them a slew of English curse words, instead try this approach: breath like you are about to go into labor, smile and ask what you can do to make their life easier. Don’t go crazy and scream because nothing good will come of it besides the person working having a fun story to tell their friends over drinks later. ‘Red-tape’ masterminds can make your life a living hell (true all over the world), so embrace the fact that you might want to inwardly kill someone but outwardly offer them a coffee. I make a joke out of these situations and learn not to take ‘bad news’ too seriously. One of my top posts on the blog is ’10 Mistakes Expats in Italy Make’  a fun one that I think a lot of people who live abroad can relate to, we’re all guilty of many of those on the list, me included.

When in doubt carry pocket coffee: I call it Italian bureaucratic kryptonite

2. Look At This Hedgehog

Seriously, having a bad day? This hedgehog will make it all better, and possibly force you to smile.

Why does he have a strawberry on his head? Who cares! He’s cute!

3. Make Friends With Non-Miserable People

Sounds obvious but is it? We have a tendency to stick with fellow expats when moving abroad which is totally normal, I love my American friends. But choose your friends wisely. The last thing you need is to be around a bunch of whinging people who constantly compare their home country to their adopted one and it’s just not healthy. We all complain but some people actually make it into an art form. Stay far far away. If you’re in Florence, I highly recommend checking out these networks.

Gif | Via mattsko.wordpress.com

4. Build a Support System

This coincindes with #3, as you should stay away from ‘I hate everything about this country and the people’ expats, you should definitely try and create a wonderful support system on your new (or old) adventure abroad. Meet people who have ‘made the move’ but that actually are happy, motivated, self-initiators. People that can get fined for parking the wrong way on a street and live to laugh about it. Remember friendships take time and energy, don’t expect the world from anyone but instead make it fun, light, easy and meaningful. The one thing I hate when people write me to meet up as times is that feeling of ‘what can I do to help them’ which is a very ‘one-way’ system in my opinion. I love making new friends and I am happy to help, advise, comfort but bombarding someone with all of your problems and talking about yourself 27/7 straight away does not make a good friend.

5. Be Realistic

If you plan on staying sane, dreaming ‘too big’ isn’t going to help you do that. Keep your fantasies on under-drive and just remember that living abroad is hard, it takes time to get to that same level as you were in your home country. Have a 100,000 dollar high-flying job in marketing in the USA and looking for something similar in Italy? Not gonna happen, unless you are up close & personal with the term ‘bunga bunga’ 😉 Check out this post about what life in Italy is really like, and I think it’s a good start :).

This happens more often than you think: hercampus.com

6. Love Wine

I think this one is slightly self-obvious.

Il mio amico migliore ;-). Photo: homewetbar.com

7. Embrace Low-Cost Airlines

I tend to get tired of hearing people complain about the seats and service at Easyjet or Ryanair (low-cost European budget airlines) because what they lack is so small in comparison to what they actually offer. That being affordable travel all over the continent. In the past year, we have been on over 10 flights and mostly because we find deals on these low-budget airlines coupled with apartment stays to keep costs low. Everyone needs a light at the end of the I-work-too-much-tunnel and travel is a really awesome one.

Corfu, Greece. Less than 100 euros round trip and that beach was FREE 😉

8. Get A Dog

I get it, not everyone likes dogs but seriously they rock. I put off having a pet for so many years in Florence because I thought it would be too much of a hassle when traveling and the expense. Hogwash! Besides the fact that you can adopt many dogs that need homes already spayed etc. so that the costs are lower, they make your life so darn happy it will almost guarantee a more ‘sane’ life abroad. Do a little research beforehand to see what vets, kennels or dog-sitters you could use and ask questions. Our dog-sitter in Florence is awesome and our beagle puppy, Ginger absolutely loves her. Since getting her, we are required to get more exercise because god forbid you don’t when you have a beagle, plus we know more people in the neighborhood. Did I mention she has an instagram account? 😉

dog in florence italy @girlinflorence
People recognize Ginger in the streets in Florence more than me

9. Get a Hobby

One of the best tips to staying sane while abroad is giving yourself a healthy routine, whether that means joining yoga, joining a book club, volunteer at a charity group, meeting friends for morning coffee, or building a chair out of wine corks. You decide! 

Functional & ‘eco-friendly’ | inspirationgreen.com

10. Learn The Language

I have said it before and I will say it again. Learn the language and your life will 100% be better, guaranteed like ‘snap, crackly and pop”!  Even routine tasks can take so long when you are not comfortable speaking in public. Yes it is painful (especially for us English speakers) but force yourself to get personal with grammar and verbs than start the fun stuff, like actual conversation once you’ve got a solid base. Watch movies, listen to music, live with an Italian nonna. Yes it is totally possible that you may say the word penis instead of pasta, just roll with it (and read this) and join the club.

Swide.com. Dolce & Gabbana models teaching you hand gestures, now that says motivation!

11. Work

I think the worst thing possible personally is not having something constructive to do with my day. I know that work depends on what type of visa you have, but if you can, try and get at least some sort of job. Working means you have to actually get up & changed at a decent hour, you have to talk to people & you get something called currency at the end of it. Winning! I did all sorts of part time work when I first came to Italy, baby-sitting, English-teacher, general slave – but eventually once you learn the language and make it through the red-tape, you might just end up with the job you love.

12. Be A Self-Starter

Goes with #11 but something I personally deserves its own point. When you leave everything behind for a new life abroad, you need to become your own cheerleader. The happiest, most-successful people I know are those who decided one day to do everything for themselves and never looked back. Passive they were not, getting turned away from jobs was just part of the journey. Being independent from your partner and spouse is a must! Learn how to fail, don’t get too worked up again and start again, and again, and again. Love to write? Than start a blog or e-book! Scared that people might not like what you have to say or pick through your grammar like an angry high-school English teacher? Who cares, because honestly everyone has their own voice, their own perspective and that’s the beauty of it. In countries like Italy, hiding behind your computer and sending emails isn’t really going to work, you need to be out there in the community, meeting people and starting your own future.

Yes you may ‘fall’ but you’ll just pick yourself right back up again 😉

13. Don’t Become an UnOfficial Ambassador for Your Home Country

After seeing something about expats on buzzfeed, I couldn’t resist adding this to my list of ‘staying sane’. It’s fun at first feeling sort of ‘special’ answering questions about the USA or blushing over compliments over my Italian but that can get old. I don’t know about you guys but doesn’t it get tiring having to ‘represent’ all Americans abroad (especially those who pee in fountains or try to steal ancient artifacts) and in my case, Texans? I don’t mind the questions but I think that many of our countries are so dynamic and different, we can’t possibly know every thought that goes through the minds of our countrymen. Personally I would rather be known as Georgette Jupe, digital marketing media badass & lover of all things food & wine than “Georgette “la Americana”.

What Polish People Think American House Parties are Like http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/this-is-what-polish-people-think-an-american-house-party-is

14. Learn How to Drive Manual (stick-shift)

Seriously this will make your life a lot easier abroad if you just learn how to use a manual stick-shift while driving a car. Most cars around the world are not automatic which is why you need to learn if you plan to drive abroad. When I was studying abroad, a group of girlfriends and I rented a car in Spain and I was the only one who knew how to drive a manual car. Not too fun, so my advice is take a week or two and gain this skill so you can go on fun vintage fiat tours like this one in Tuscany. 

15. Treat Yourself

So you’ve enrolled in intensive language-courses, drank the “I adore red-tape” punch and are ok if not thrilled with your boyfriend wearing an elegant man-bag in public. You deserve a little love yourself. Go for a fancy tea at the Four Seasons, get a massage, buy too many books on Amazon, go on a little mini-shopping spree or skype your family. Everyone needs a little “me” time and if that involves drinking a bottle of prosecco with your closest expat girlfriends and dancing till 3am, so be it!

gifsdancingtomusic

16. Pay It Forward

I’m not sure who first coined the term ‘pay it forward’ but whoever did, I love them. The concept of repaying good deeds to others instead of to the original benefactor who helped you is sort of mind-blowingly awesome. Perhaps you had someone who helped you when you first moved abroad, introduced you to friends, got you an internship or took you to renew your visa. They didn’t have to do that, but they did. There are so many good people out there and you should never forget this when finally getting to that ‘happy’ place abroad. Leave any competitiveness out of the window and embrace the idea of community and helping people while expecting nothing in return. It’s the right thing to do and the result is, you will 100% be happier.

17. Just. Smile 

Sounds cheesy but smiling always manages to break even the toughest exterior (especially at the Italian post office). I went through a phase where I stopped smiling, especially at men on the streets (not a bad idea, just depends…) but after Italy truly felt like home again. The smiles returned. Today the best compliment that anyone can tell me is that I’m ‘solare’ or in general ‘a happy person’ which in the end was a choice I made, to wake up, smell the coffee, smile a little more and just embrace what life had in store for me. Heck, even the blobfish below makes me smile.

The ugliest animal in the world, the blobfish, could use this advice Via nmfs.noaa.gov

Related Posts

30 Responses

    1. Ciao Amber! You know I partly wrote this post today for myself, a sort of checklist when I am heaving those ‘ugh’ moments in Italy. I hope I can stick to them 😉

  1. A lot of these points can apply wherever you live! They just gave me wakeup call! You have choices make the right one!!
    Thank you

    1. I definitely meant this as a post for anyone abroad (or let’s face it in their hometown as you say), thank you so much for commenting and taking the time to read my blog

  2. Yes, yes, 17 times yes! But especially #3, which is why I adore you, Georgette…badass lover of food and wine!

    1. Lisa you are too sweet, that’s why I so much like hanging out with you ladies, you’re positive , full of energy and willing to see the ‘good’ in everything. I really can appreciate that. Food & wine is my reason for life 😉

  3. Thanks for some wonderful insights… So true about the pocket coffee! I use this all the time when I am in Italia, which at the moment is only summers. I so enjoy reading your posts. They may prove to be very helpful if I ever decide to jump full-time into living in Italia!

    1. Thank you Giovanni! I am sort of mildly (ok really) obsessed with Pocket Coffee ;-). It puts a smile on everyone’s face and if gets the post office workers to be a little nicer, than I feel successful ;-). I am happy you enjoy my blog, you definitely should come for a period. Italy is amazing as long as you’re not dependent on work here 🙂

  4. Great post!!! It’s funny but when we are in Italy we “put up” with things we never would in the US. Two days of cold showers in a hotel where we are paying 120 euro a night, oh well. In the US we would have demanded, and received, a substantial discount for those days. In Italy…well, they are trying to get it fixed, and it will be, eventually. As we wade into Italian bureaucracy in an attempt to obtain dual citizenship I am constantly reminding my husband (the 100% Italo Americano one!) that things will not be smooth, easy, efficient or without consternation. Dang, I meant to buy those pocket coffees last trip. I’ll be bringing some Alaskan smoked salmon as a thank you instead. 😉

    1. Thank you so much Bonnie (did you say Smoked Salmon?! from Alaska!) I know that I would have been a nightmare if I would have stayed in Los Angeles, probably would have freaked out over my Starbucks being the wrong temperature. Italy has a calming soothing effect probably because daily frustration is a national hobby and you just learn to get over it, have a nice meal and appreciate the small things. You just can’t ‘expect’ what you do back home in another country with different values, no matter how ‘silly’ or ‘obvious’ it seems. I still struggle with this btw :). I wish you guys the best of luck with dual citizenship, I had a few friends go through the process in Italy and though hard, it was certainly worth it!

  5. Love this post! No miserable people, lots of wine, travel, work, ENJOY! But just so everyone knows… Texas is the best state. 😉 haha Have a great weekend!

    1. The keys to life are just that ;-). I do agree that Texas is pretty special, proud to be from there but even happier to be a ‘texana’ abroad. Have a great weekend yourself!

  6. What is ginger’s Instagram account name… Would love to take a look.

    1. You are too sweet, you can see what Ginger is up to here . She’s a bit of a jaded beagle but we try and keep the account fun & light 😉

  7. I love your post, Georgette, and the others are right, these things apply no matter where you are. Special thanks for the introduction to pocket coffee, that adorable hedgehog and the vintage fiat tours in Tuscany 🙂

  8. What a great post! I can relate to a lot of what you said from the feedback I have gotten from friends and relatives. My usual answer to the complainers, “unless you are in the military leave Italy”! May I borrow the cork chair picture?

  9. Great list – and I agree can work wherever you are an expat – though in China, pocket coffee probably not so great – maybe a tea bag? I especially agree with the one about smiling. Chinese people as a cultural difference smile less and there was a period where I let myself fall into that trap without realizing how unhappy it made me. Now I don’t worry about thanking someone too much or smiling at a street vendor because that is just who I am! Seven years in, finally comfortable in my own skin….

  10. I think this is great advice for wherever you live really! Smile and be flexible is always a great way to be:). It’s got to be hard work living life as an expat, but life is hard wherever you are. Ask any italian they will tell you just how hard it is to find a steady job and buy a home, have a family, have unrealistic pressures put on you by the family. My life isn’t perfect but it’s a lot easier than theirs, but I still envy their way of living!!!

  11. Love how you advise meeting “people that can get fined for parking the wrong way on a street and live to laugh about it.” Imagine that!! 😉 Keeping a sense of humor is SO important no matter where you are!

    1. You know that actually happened to me in Los Angeles right after I moved there. I got fined the first day at my new apartment because I parked the wrong way, and you know what we did laugh about it because the other alternative just isn’t as fun. Sense of humor is #1 😉

  12. Love this so much Georgette! Very good advice, all of it. I especially relate to #3 + #16. So many people helped me in my first few months in Italy, and its so fun to be able to help others settle in and feel welcome. PS I <3 Ginger….

  13. Such a great post! I’m definitely going to save this one, so that when I’ve moved to the UK, I can look for the best tips when I need them ;). The picture of the hedgehog by the way is brilliant. Cute animal pictures help us through the worst of times, don’t they?

    1. Thank you Maaike! I just wanted to have a bit of fun with it since there are so many reasons why living in another country opens your mind and changes your life. The hedgehog is my weakness, my heart melts when I see one 🙂

  14. Amen!!

    My life improved quite a bit in Rome once I cut way back on hanging out with 24/7 negative expats.

    I cannot avoid them completely but I want to ask them why do they complain to me? I mean, we all have those kind of days but if I hated Italy as much as they did, I would leave. I’m still here and not married to an Italian nor have children so clearly, I’m happy here. I told one friend I was tired of being the Oprah for American expats in Rome. ha

  15. Agreed re: miserable expats (who needs that kind of reinforcement when in new surroundings?), the hedgehog is adorable and DID make me smile, and Ginger’s own Instagram? Hilarious!

Search
Georgette Jupe

Welcome to my personal blog by a curious American girl living and working between Zug, Switzerland and Florence, Italy with my husband Nico, our newborn Annabelle and Ginger the beagle. This space is primarily to share about my love for Italy (currently on a 13 year romance) with a fair amount of real talk, practical advice, travel suggestions and adjusting to a new culture (Switzerland). Find me on IG @girlinflorence @girlinzug

Instagram
FOLLOW ME
VIDEO
recent post
NEWSLETTER
CATEGORIES
Categories
Lonely Planet

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.