In this episode, we speak with former political staffer and current diplomat Jenna Renée who shares her experiences living as an ex-pat in Europe.
Jenna was born and raised in the special town of London, Ontario (not to be confused with London, England!) known to locals as the Forest City, due to the high amount of trees and vegetation in the area.
Growing up as an only child, Jenna had a very close relationship with her parents. This relationship remained close even after she moved to Ottawa, the nation's capital, to pursue her graduate degree at University of Ottawa. Jenna eventually commenced her political career working on Parliament Hill and was eventually offered the opportunity to move abroad to work within a diplomatic mission.
The decision to move abroad was not an easy one as she weighed her personal and career goals, however, she relied on her 'go-to' strategy whenever faced with a difficult decision - her trusty pros and cons list to settle the decision. She (fortunately) made the decision to take the opportunity to move abroad and has embraced the ex-pat life ever since.
Jenna shares personal experiences of how she overcame some of the challenges many ex-pats face when abroad, including loneliness, missing major milestones of friends and family back home, as well as the dreaded administrative issues most ex-pats are very familiar with.
Although Jenna enjoyed a brief stint an ex-pat during her undergraduate degree, she explains that this most recent decision to go abroad again has been the most significant and life-changing decision she has made - one she is immensely grateful for.
This is a particularly insightful episode for anyone considering taking the plunge to move abroad; or anyone curious about living life as an ex-pat abroad.
Please leave a comment letting us know your thoughts of the episode.
Thank you!
Nicole x
