“It’s like I don’t even recognize my own voice anymore. I keep wondering who I’m becoming here… and if I’ll ever feel like myself again.” – Jiwoo, South Korea
Feeling lost
You thought learning the language would be the hardest part.
But no one warned you about this: the strange silence inside your own head when you don’t feel like you anymore.
Living abroad isn’t just about adapting—it’s about expanding. But that expansion often comes with grief: for the familiar routines, the unspoken cultural codes, the version of you who once felt “normal.”
This isn’t failure. It’s transformation. And the question isn’t “How do I get back to my old self?” but “Who am I becoming now?”
it is not only about culture
Why living abroad can shake your sense of self
Living abroad isn’t just a geographical shift—it’s a psychological one.
Back home, your routines and relationships reflected parts of your identity back to you every day. Abroad, those mirrors are gone.
What’s left? The raw you. The one no one’s labeled yet.
This can feel freeing—or terrifying.
So, what now?
The key isn’t rushing to “find” yourself again. It’s allowing yourself to meet yourself in this new context.
Ask:
- Am I trying too hard to be who I was—when I’ve already outgrown that?
- Who am I here, without the roles I used to play?
- What parts of me feel unfamiliar but exciting?
Your Next Step
Maybe you’re not lost. Maybe you’re becoming someone new—someone who deserves space, reflection, and patience to grow.
Clarity coaching isn’t about telling you who to be. It’s about holding space while you discover it for yourself.
English 
Korean
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