A Life Abroad: What I Wish I Knew Before Starting the Adventure – Episode 1
Practical tips and personal experiences for adapting and thriving.
Welcome to The Inclusion Room — a space where literature, science, and storytelling meet to unlock the power of diversity, inspiring both personal and professional growth.
Dear Readers,
I hope this letter finds you well!
I’ve spent half of my life living abroad.
Living as a foreigner for the long term wasn’t a decision made in a single moment, but the result of unexpected meetings, moments, and crossroads.
I’ve learned that the most frequent question for those of us who live in constant movement is: For how long?
I’ve measured time in projects and contracts, in the comings and goings of people. Waiting for the wave that would sweep me away, taking me toward a new shore.
Along the way, I’ve found shoulders to lean on, spaces to turn into homes, and arms that could warm me. I’ve had to reinvent myself many times, adapting to constantly shifting contexts.
Every experience of inclusion has had its own form: often in the joy of discovery, and sometimes in the pain of adaptation.
As part of my exploration, I’m sharing with you my travel journal. I will tell you stories that marked my personal evolution, sharing what I’ve learned at every stop.
Because, in the end, it’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. And every journey has something to teach!
Let’s set sail for the first stage.
My First Expatriation
I arrived in France about 18 years ago for an Erasmus experience.
I was supposed to stay for six months: pass the exams, have the experience, and then go back home.
But life had other plans: encounters, sometimes clashes, and coincidences led me in a different direction.
From Erasmus with a fixed term, I became an expat with an indefinite term!
But let’s not rush. Let’s return to those first weeks in September.
Imagine a young woman in her final year of university, always with her nose in books and immersed in equations.
Inclusion at that age meant going out, attending parties, making new friends. But I was focused on one thing: studying.
Passing exams was my mantra. There was no room for anything else.
Mother Erasmus, Sofia Corradi, had dreamed of Erasmus as a university exchange that would turn European students into curious individuals capable of embracing differences.
That dream would change my life as well, though I didn’t know it yet.