The W Curve

Before moving overseas I talked with a buddy of mine, Mary Heng, who had lived overseas before (in Spain) and she was truly one of the most helpful people to talk to. Since we worked together we were able to talk about what I needed to do to prepare and she mentioned something called the W curve.
The W curve is taught to students who are going overseas but I think this is skipped over when people want to work overseas. The idea of the curve is that you will be able to understand the peaks and valleys that you feel when living in a foreign country and know that what you are feeling is normal.

To start when you are headed overseas you first feel a sense of euphoria, the top of the W. You are going to do something big and scary because you want to! You are the master commander! When you first arrive in the country there is a ton to experience from the views, food, and people. You feel like you finally made it after all the dumb paperwork and training and can enjoy being in the country.

That is when you hit a valley. You realize you can not speak the language in some cases (like me). Ordering food, asking for directions, and just trying to live your life is hard when you can't speak the language. You are also totally isolated. Your family isn't just an hour away drive and your friends are in a different time zone so you are unable to Skype them. The finishing touch is that you miss your own culture and food.
People joke that America has no culture but that is honestly so dumb, we very much have a culture and do I miss it at times.
*Seperate note-the lack of cheese in China is astonishing. I had no idea that I had such access to cheese in the states.

The second uphill is finding coping mechanisms for the isolation, knowing how to get around, and understanding the customs and culture more. You get better at the language and soon enough you start to feel like a local. This stage lasts the longest and will be most of your time overseas.
You stay uphill when you get to come back to your home country. You get to see family and friends again! You can see your country's views and eat that thing you missed a lot while overseas.

The final drop comes after you arrive back in your home country. There are things that you notice about yourself that is different. No one can relate to you and you speak a language that maybe many others don't. The food you used to eat in your work country is not available anymore and you miss it. The friends you made overseas are now hard to contact. There are things you notice too about your home country that you do not like. You wonder, "Where do I really belong?"

The last uphill is when you find your place. There is an understanding of what you need and how to get there.