Sometimes, it is not that easy to be in relocation…

Yes... it's me who wrote 22 good reasons...

But I also have days/periods that are not easy.

Relocation can be tough. We are faced with so many questions, doubts, thoughts.

We manage ourselves and life as if we were ‘walking on eggs’.

We judge ourselves on moves, statements, actions...

And many times we get hurt.

About two weeks ago I was hurt to the depth of my soul because I did not correctly interpret words that were said to me. Words were said and written to me, but I understood them in a different way "from the meaning of the poet"... and I acted according to what I understood, and not according to the intention (and I judged myself... how come you, who are so sensitive to these situations, did not understand).

For me a word has power. When I say something I mean it. It comes from a genuine, authentic place.

However, sometimes people say things but they meant something else

How can one know ? We simply examine their behaviour. What people do.

When I say "I'd love to meet you for coffee", I mean it and I'll even open my agenda to schedule it.

But I learned that there are cultures where the message is "it would be nice to meet sometime, maybe, for coffee".

When I see someone that I think might need help, it doesn't matter to me what the person's social status is. I will offer help. I learned that sometimes it's misplaced.

Learning a new language is not just learning words. It is mainly learning the small messages between the words.

According to a research of message transfer evaluation, words themselves make up only 7% of the communication and the transfer of the message. The non-verbal language makes up 55%.

It's already very harsh in your culture, so what happens in a new culture??

The good news is, it can be learned and it is possible to mitigate unpleasant situations.

One of the tips I will give today: observe the behaviour of locals, without judging them.

And, most importantly, don't be hard on yourself. Take it as a learning process with all the difficulties it entails.

When did you have a misunderstanding with a new culture?