As I sit down to write this piece, there are a handful of my mother’s words that come fluttering to mind. Words deeply instilled that I can trace back to childhood, causing me to reflect on the power of words and how they translate to values embedded within. Values, I believe, are what we come back to, what we resort to, and what we draw from as we maneuver through life. Each time before I would leave home, even if it was just to go to CVS to buy a Lip Smackers lip gloss and some magazines (tbt) she would always say, “use your judgement”, if I was going to a friend’s house she would always say, “don’t overstay your welcome” reminding me to be polite and mindful of others space, if I was defeated about something she would tell me to “recycle it” and ask me how I was going to “turn it around”.

More recently, before I made the choice to move to Italy she left me with words that I have been lingering on, words, like the others, that I continuously come back to; “God didn’t bless me with you to keep you here in the nest with me forever, although I would love to. He gave me you as a gift to send out into the world, for others to experience you and your gifts, and so now it is your time to do that”. These words gave me the wings I needed to fly, and here I am.

Before moving abroad to Italy, I couldn’t have imagined the amount of resilience it would ask of me. Prior to my departure I can bet that I watched every YouTube vlog and read every blog post on the matter from Expats all over the world. This gave me the illusion of knowing what to expect and I thought I knew how my adjustment was going to go. That’s not real life, though, because part of the journey is finding out your own answers and finding your own way; experience, in this way, is deeply personal. And in that, I have found, it’s the values I come back to, my mother’s words that I come back to. They tell me to use my judgement, they ask me how I’m going to recycle it when something doesn’t go my way, they tell me that I deserve new experiences and that new experiences deserve me.

In this way, I can chalk up my Expat experience and shed advice on it in the same respect; when you are unsure, always come back to what you know. For me, it’s my mother's words, for you it might be something different. Whatever it is, it’s already within you so you need not search far for it. All that you need is already inside of you! 

Direct Message me on Instagram @sabpraylove, I am always happy to chat!

Love and light!

Xx, Sab