In just two months, it will be 20 years since I began working abroad as an expat.
My career journey, which started in Georgia in October 2005, has since taken me to Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and now Kuwait. Although both of my sons were physically born in Türkiye, they grew up and were educated abroad. Together with my wife, away from our families and friends, we raised our children on our own. We lived through a war in Georgia and a coup attempt in Kazakhstan. Welcome to the so-called “glittering lives” of expats.
Living in another country may sound appealing, but it comes with many challenges. No matter how much you work with others or spend time together, at the end of the day, you are still a foreigner who has come to live and work there temporarily.
In every country I’ve been to, people were warm and welcoming on a personal level. Daily life might be easy, but when it comes to work, not everyone is so hospitable—because you are sitting in a position that could have been given to one of their own citizens. You are expected to disrupt the established order and implement your own company’s policies, processes, and corporate culture. This process usually takes a long time, and at the beginning, it’s rarely welcomed positively.
It can be discouraging when you realize that some people who smile at you and act friendly are actually working against you, waiting for you to make a mistake. I still remember when, after heavy rain in Georgia, the roof began leaking, and some employees took photos of it and laughed while sharing them. At that moment, I asked myself: “Why am I working in this country, for these people?”
And yet, it’s precisely in such moments that you find strength to carry on—from the genuine local colleagues who support you, aim for progress, and strive for better.
In Kazakhstan, after the coup attempt, we had to give countless statements to prosecutors because of the decisions we did—or didn’t—make, all while ensuring the airport continued operating smoothly.
When you take visiting guests from company headquarters out to beautiful places during their short stays, they sometimes assume that this is how you always live—and I’m sure that perception still lingers.
Typically, an expat is expected to stay in a country for 3 to 5 years. Staying longer is discouraged, as it may lead to “localization” and putting down roots. While most people live in the same house for years without moving, having to change countries every 3 to 5 years is an exhausting and demanding process. It’s especially tough for children once they grow older, as changing schools and countries can be a major struggle for them.
Living far from your homeland, family, relatives, and friends—in a society and culture where you can never truly belong—is not as easy or glamorous as it may seem.