How can we feel a sense of connection with a new place? Is it easier to fall in love with some cities or countries than with others? Are some of us just more able to adapt to change than others, and is this a blessing or a curse?
We begin our journey with a story of international love across the Iron Curtain. Our guest, Eva, grew up hopping between three very distinct cultures – Denmark, the USA, and Communist Czechoslovakia. A self-described novelty seeker and chameleon, Eva enjoys getting to know places. And yet – though she feels very at home in USA (and many European countries), it hasn’t always been easy building a connection with the Czech Republic. She’s not giving up though! Now that she finds herself raising her teenagers and running businesses here in Prague, we talk about what it means to be a third culture kid, to ‘connect’ to a place and a people, and about what lessons we can learn from chimpanzees (she majored in Anthropology!) about being accepted into a new group.
Mentioned resources:
Expats.cz – giving expats in Prague information about news, jobs, events, services etc
Learn.cz – Eva’s business – teaching English and business confidence to Czechs
Migrants less likely to be retraumatised when they achieve cultural competence: George, M. (2012). Migration traumatic experiences and refugee distress: Implications for social work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 40(4), 429-437 (PDF)
Also useful:
If you’re interested in the behaviour of chimps when adapting to new societies, have a look at this article: https://www.mpg.de/12125811/grooming-social-relationship
How to make a new city feel like home: https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/9-ways-to-make-a-new-city-feel-like-home.html
I also recommend www.meetup.com to find new events and groups!
