What Nobody Tells You About Moving Abroad. The Life of an Expat: Belonging, Culture Shock & Finding Community

Have you ever felt like you belong to two countries but don’t fully belong to either? This week we talk about the real life of an expat: the opportunities, the personal growth, and the loneliness, identity crisis and culture shock that nobody prepares you for when you move abroad. Our guest is Juana Silva Puerta, a Colombian-born literary translator who moved to Ely in the UK five years ago. Juana shares what moving abroad was really like: the visa and bureaucracy hurdles, the housing shock, and her first dark winters. She also explains how she made friends as an adult in a new country and built a Spanish-speaking community from nothing. In this episode: • Culture shock in the UK, from 5pm closing times to council tax • How to make friends abroad when you don’t know anyone • Being bilingual and the “different personality” you have in each language • Belonging, identity and redefining what “home” means • Long-distance family, motherhood and raising a child abroad • Expat vs. immigrant: why the words matter • Practical tips for anyone who has just moved to a new country Plus, Soraya and Jasmine share their honest reactions to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Whether you’ve moved countries, are thinking about it, or are searching for a sense of belonging wherever you are, this conversation is for you. Females Thriving Over 30 is the podcast for women in their thirties, forties, fifties and beyond, and for the twenty-somethings quietly dreading the big 3-0. Spoiler: the best is yet to come. Every week we’re proving that each decade brings more confidence, more clarity and more fun than the last. Business and sponsorship enquiries: [fto30podcast@gmail.com](mailto:fto30podcast@gmail.com) expat life, life of an expat, living abroad, moving abroad, expat loneliness, making friends abroad, how to make friends as an adult, moving to the UK, expat in the UK, culture shock UK, immigrant stories, expat vs immigrant, belonging, bilingual, bilingual brain, Colombian in UK, Latina in UK, third culture, expat community, living in England, homesick, UK visa, Life in the UK test, Victoria's Secret, Victoria's secret fashion show, Females Thriving Over 30, FTO30, women's podcast, podcast for women over 30