The Migrant Questionnaire #3 | Catriona
"All that propaganda about things like: if you step out of your comfort zone, the world will meet you and it will be amazing. It doesn’t work like that."
Leaving one’s home and discovering other cultures is both brave and an uniquely personal experience. This is a mosaic of stories and insights on roaming the world from other expats and migrants. We’ll also bust some myths about the expat life along the way.
Today, Catriona from Notes from Saving the World answers the Migrant Questionnaire.
She has lived in no less than 10 countries on 4 continents (and speaks 6 languages!) — only this part makes her the perfect candidate to answer my questionnaire. On top of it, she has also worked in a bunch of interesting jobs around the world, a truly enviable life experience from the outside. But expat or migrant life is rarely made up only of exciting moments. Read on to discover her journey and the lessons she shares from it.
Where were you born and in what places have you lived since then?
I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland.
I have since lived in France, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, Italy, Egypt, England, Myanmar, UAE and for shorter stints in Ecuador, Switzerland and Spain.
How long have you lived outside your country of birth?
About 18 years at this point. I have spent most of my adult life abroad whereas I spent all of my childhood in Scotland (we used to go on holiday in the Scottish islands, so I didn’t travel abroad when I was a child either).
I lived in Scotland for a few years again during the pandemic. It felt important to reconnect and relearn my home country. It brought me a sense of connection and community I haven’t found elsewhere.
Yet, I moved again in 2023 after a period of struggling to find work at home. I was offered a good opportunity in Dubai, so it didn’t make sense to say no. I was really sad to leave Scotland then. I have come to appreciate routines and rooting to place a lot more as I have got older.
How did you go about making connections and friends in the new places you lived?
Hmmm … where to begin … I think it has changed a bit over the years, but as I have mostly moved for work, I have made a lot of friends in workplaces.
I will caveat that with the fact that many of my offices were small makeshift offices, where we had to travel a lot as a team — so it was a bit different than going into a corporate office.
I often made friends with flatmates and friends of friends. When I was in Luxembourg, I lived in a house with 10 other people, so there was always someone to hang out with.
When I was studying in France, I used to join group trips organised for foreign students, which was great for exploring the South of France and making friends from around Europe.
In Egypt, they had a really active meetup and couchsurfing community, where you could join trips to go to more hard to reach parts of the country — like a desert camping trip to the White Desert. That was great to get to know a range of people and the country.
Each place has its own ways, I find.
In Egypt and Luxembourg — I made good friends really quickly; everyone was really open to exchange and connections.
In Myanmar, Nicaragua, UAE — I made friends at work, but it was hard to build meaningful connections outside of my job. It took a lot of time and effort.
I also used to go to sports groups, dance classes and volunteer. I think all the ways you can make friends at home, you kind of need to get out there and see who also wants to be friends.
“Reverse culture shock is real and everyone assumes you are at home and know what you are doing and are therefore fine. I was not.”
What was your biggest cultural shock?
I think the firsts are hardest. Moving to France having never lived abroad was really difficult. But it took place in a beautiful French town, with other students going through the same process, which helped.
Nicaragua was harder — first time living in a global south country. My new small town Central American life was completely different from the one I had left behind in Luxembourg — where I used to go running in forests, shop in a hypermarché and out to clubs with friends.
It took a lot of adapting to basic things — like limited fresh produce in the small local store. I often got sick because of the food. I worked in a tiny office and there was no one to hang out with outside of work. I also couldn’t find a suitable place to live in this town and ended up staying in a strange homestay, then a house which had termites and I was constantly catcalled in the street. My whole world was different and there was no one to navigate the journey with.
Strangely, moving to London after Nicaragua was probably even worse. I spent the first six months confused about how things worked in London, even though it should be kind of like Scotland. I couldn't work out how to get tube tickets or make any friends. The office I worked in was impersonal and I would walk to work in tears until I descended into a dangerous depression. I eventually quit the job and moved away from London as part of the recovery. Reverse culture shock is real and everyone assumes you are at home and know what you are doing and are therefore fine. I was not.
When did you feel the most as an outsider and why?
Honestly, as a teenager in Glasgow in the 1990s. I felt odd the whole time. I had no friends, I really struggled and had no one I could talk to about it. I was good at school so everyone assumed I was fine, but I felt very lonely. Looking back, there were so many factors which played into this.
I think moving abroad was helpful for me when I was younger — it was like a disguise. If I didn’t fit in, there was a reason — I was foreign. Not only did I make new friends who shared similar ideas and values, but I had a cloak to cover any weirdness or unusualness about myself.
What was a favorite journey you took?
Hmm there are a few … travelling through Egypt from Cairo to Aswan by train. This is such a beautiful journey down the Nile. We stopped in Luxor and Aswan, visited the temples of the kings and queens. I loved travelling with the Nile, which has so much social and cultural importance in human history. It really felt special.
Other highlights would be taking buses through the Andes in Ecuador — where the landscape changed as we made big leaps in altitude. I also loved the mountain trains in Switzerland, which go really high into the peaks. And walking the West Highland Way in Scotland — a path from Glasgow into the Highlands of about 100 miles. You see the country transform from lowland to highland as you walk. There are a lot of stories and history on that route, as well as pubs and cafes. There was something special about seeing the landscapes and communities of my country up close.
Tell me about an inner journey you had to take while adapting to a new place.
After 18 years, there have been so many. I feel like it has been a constant evolution — each new place opened up something new in me — both skills like languages, but also new parts of who I am.
Where do you feel most at home today, and why?
Scotland. It is home and I have gone back and worked through all the ways I felt I didn’t belong. Now it feels like a place and culture that is mine. And it feels freeing to be there — I don’t need to worry about how I speak or what I say. It feels like a place where I am held by the land and can express myself freely.
What is one myth about the expat life that you’d like to bust?
I don’t like all that propaganda about things like — if you step out of your comfort zone, the world will meet you and it will be amazing. It doesn’t work like that.
Sometimes it is good to have a comfort zone. And boundaries. To explore things at your own pace. I wish I had not pushed myself so much and let myself be more comfortable. I am still working on that and Dubai is quite a good teacher.
What tip would you give to someone who is contemplating emigrating for the first time?
Build up your support networks. Don’t isolate yourself from your old friends, stay in touch and connect to where you are travelling from as well as getting to know your new culture/place. I have found, everywhere, including where you came from, is valuable to your journey.
I love this :) I am ready for my questionnaire :)
Great interview ladies! So interesting how you felt the most like an outsider in the UK (London), Catriona. I can totally identify with that, thinking of the times I've gone back to Canada.