[kaleiv]

Hi Kristen,

Thank you for understanding…I think some of my family members and friends think I’m just kicking it here like on vacation.

I love your idea about virtual or remote work. I looked at upwork and freelancer, they seem to be mostly for website creation, translating, or writing. My background is in strategic planning/research. I wonder if much of that type of work is confidential, and companies don’t usually have external contract work for that. Have you heard of other sites I should check out? Or another angle I should approach this? I have also mentioned to some former colleagues that I’m looking for consulting/project based work.

Thanks much : )

[kaleiv]

Hi Kristen,

Thank you for your reply. I hope you enjoyed your time off.

I think the best thing is to accept this is a time to not do the work I’m used to. And I can give myself permission to not work or look for work, it just bothers me because it feels like I don’t have a choice. I am not against time off, and I understand free time is a luxury. But I like to work, I actually miss going to an office and having people to talk with and projects to work on (in addition to a paycheck.) Some of my family thinks I am on vacation, but my definition of vacation does not include involuntary and unpaid.

I am trying to set a schedule for myself each day where I spend the morning doing X, and the afternoon doing Y, and calling that my “work” while we are overseas. I am trying to not feel resentful, there are some good things here and I am hopeful I will discover some new directions for my career.

[kaleiv]

Hi Kristen,

Thanks for your response. You are absolutely right, it does feel lonely and isolating. And working on my career in terms of preparing for a career change when I get home makes me feel like I’m doing something useful, and helps calm my mind about making a mid-career transition. I didn’t want an interruption in my career, but I wonder if this time is meant to give me time to take a breather, decompress, reflect, and decide on a new direction.

I really like your idea of going on cultural excursions just for company, and separating that from career work. That way I won’t feel like all I do is clean and cook and go to lunch and museums. I don’t mind cleaning and cooking because I am taking care of my family, but I do mind that being all I do. I honestly believe I have left no stone unturned in terms of finding a job or some type of activity. I have been looking for months, talking with other expats, the relocation consultants, staff at the international center in town, doing research online, and there just isn’t much unless you are fluent. To give you an example, I have been rejected by two yoga studios because they fear I would hurt myself since I don’t understand what the teacher is saying. So, I started practicing at home and found a bunch of great videos online.

I also started teaching myself Spanish from online courses. It’s been an interest for a long time and I like it and it may come in handy some day. Without the internet I would probably go stir crazy.

Lastly, I loved your post on Analysis Paralysis, which I can fall into very easily. I’m trying to focus on doing instead of endless researching.

Thanks again!

[kaleiv]

Hi Kristen and Rachel,

I just finished your Short Course and I think it clarified a lot for me. I still don’t know exactly what I want to do in terms of a job title or company, but I am much more clear on what I want and don’t and why some previous jobs did not work out in the past (as well as why I went there.) After 15 years in the same industry doing pretty much the same job that was ok for the most part, I am now an involuntary expat housewife in a country where I don’t speak the language. When we go home I plan to start transitioning out of the industry I was in. While I’m an expat I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, acquire some knowledge to help with my transition, find people to do informational interviews with, and basically anything I can think of to prepare myself for the next journey in my career. The thing is, I am a tribe member primarily (with a healthy dose of thriver) and I am definitely feeling the drain of doing these assignments solo. What can I do to fulfill that part of me that wants some engagement? There are other expats around but everyone is doing their own thing or going on cultural excursions which I’m not opposed to but I really want to do things that help my career.

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