#36. 3 Ways Expat Women in the USA Can Beat Homesickness and Build a Sense of Belonging

Feeling homesick after moving to the USA?
You’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself. 

In this Friday episode host Yolanda Reshemah shares three powerful ways expat women can use the wisdom of others to feel grounded, connected, and at home again.

Whether you’ve just arrived or have been living abroad for years, this conversation will help you:

• Learn from other expat women’s stories so you can avoid common mistakes and settle faster.
• Turn shared experiences into guidance for building a fulfilling life in a new country.
• Practice grace and respect—two essential tools for navigating culture shock and finding belonging.

Every challenge you’re facing—homesickness, loneliness, or starting over from scratch—has already been lived and overcome by others who’ve walked the same path. Their stories can become your roadmap.

Listen now to discover how the power of shared wisdom can transform your expat journey and help you finally feel at home in the USA.

To share your own migration story or feedback email  [e-mail] 

This compelling podcast dives into Expat and immigrant women (and men) stories. Those who immigrate to the USA, tackling the struggles of homesickness, identity crisis, and culture shock in the USA while adjusting to expat life and navigating cultural differences. Through conversations on starting over, reinventing yourself, and finding purpose, it highlights success stories of women's tenacity, and the resilience of expats in the USA. It offers insights into bicultural identity, language barriers, and the challenges of living overseas. The podcast emphasizes the importance of a strong support system and wellbeing for women in pursuit of the American dream.

https://www.instagram.com/theplaces_wecallhome

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
How do people move to countrieslike the USA and create the life
they dream of?
in today's episode, you aregoing to discover why you should
make a straight line to thestories of expat women
immigrating abroad.
Listen to their challenges,their choices, and their
victories before you make adecision.

(00:23):
Welcome to starting over in theUSA, the Expat Woman's Guide to
overcoming homesickness,embracing cultural differences,
and creating a new home awayfrom home.
On this podcast, we talk aboutleaving behind the familiar, you
know, the pangs of homesicknessand culture shock to the
journeys of reinventingyourself.

(00:45):
I'm Yolanda Reshemah.
And after relocating six times,I know firsthand what it's like
to start from scratch, feelinglike both a foreign child and a
foreign adult in a new world.
it is Friday.
On Friday episodes we find tipsand strategies to help you,

(01:07):
expat woman, have a healthyimmigrant experience.
Have you ever felt like you arethe only one going through this?
Like there's only a handful ofpeople who could possibly
understand what it's like tomove to a new country, create a
life based on dreams andambition, And succeed at it.

(01:29):
What if I told you that theanswers you are chasing have
already been lived spoken aloud?
Keep listening to the end.
I read this thing ages ago in,um, a book I picked up browsing
another bookshop.
It's called Wisdom From Above.

(01:49):
I dunno who the author is, Ican't see right now.
But it's daily words ofencouragement and affirmations,
and there's one in particularthat has stayed with me.
It's so beautiful.
I want to share it with youbecause it's, relevant to what
this podcast is about.
I'll just read a little bit foryou.

(02:11):
It says, this bit, we should notthrow away the wisdom of those
who have raised us.
While our understanding fallsshort in some ways, we can learn
important lessons throughexperience.
Instead of starting fresh, weshould allow the insight of
others to weigh in on ourchoices and guide us in decision

(02:35):
making.
The fruit of wisdom can be foundanywhere.
We simply need to know how tospot its characteristics.
Don't let the faults of othersovershadow what they get, right?
Every person is a mixture ofmistakes and successes, so let's
give grace to where it isrequired and respect to where it

(02:58):
is due.
I love that.
Here's why I love it so much.
In all my years, I have learnedthat the people who have gone
before us have experienced thevery thing that are working on,

(03:21):
that we are struggling with,that we intend to overcome and
triumph.
They've experienced all theemotions and there's nothing new
that hasn't been covered before.
And I think about these lovelyladies and the men who have
shared their stories with us onthis podcast.

(03:44):
I want to say thank you righthere, right now to every single
one of them.
I am eternally grateful.
Because their experiences andwisdom means that I continually
get to grow and understand.
It means that you expect womenfind new ideas, perspective

(04:06):
strategies, and tips for anyissue that you are facing.
As an expat woman living in aland that is not your country of
origin, you are not the first,you are never going to be the
last.
You too have a story to tell,and so I just wanted to
encourage you to dip in to theseepisodes, to extract from my

(04:32):
guests all of their experienceseven their mistakes, and use
that to make your life's journeyrich and safe, to help you make
the good decisions, wisedecisions, and to help you
achieve the life that caused youto move here in the first place.

(04:57):
There's no better teacher thansomebody who's walked before you
and experienced the joy and thepain and everything that you are
likely to go through.
You don't know what's up ahead,both positive and negative.
It's not all bad.
It's not all trials.

(05:17):
But we need to know how tomanage it.
We need to know how to save upall the good and great things to
keep as fuel for thedifficulties and challenges
that's bound to come around thecorner, because that's just how
life is.
This is what I want you to takeaway.
Three things.

(05:38):
First, you are not alone on thisjourney.
Wisdom is everywhere, especiallyin the stories of people who
have lived it and who areexperiencing what you are going
through right now.
So make a straight line for thelessons of other immigrant women
listen to their challenges andtheir choices and their

(06:00):
victories.
This is going to help youshortcut the trial and error
phase.
The intending result is for youto feel less alone, but more
grounded in your newenvironment.
The second takeaway is figuringout how to use the experiences
that other expert women aresharing with you free of charge

(06:22):
on this platform.
How are we going to turn theseentertaining stories of real
life lessons into strategiesthat we can begin to implement
right now to help us in ourdecision making.
So we are not starting fromscratch.
You can listen through theseepisodes and find what I've

(06:47):
missed.
The third takeaway, if I'mhonest.
It probably sounds a little bitwoo woo up the mountainside, but
please hear me out.
Apply some respect to the factthat you've gotten this far.
Apply a big drop of empathy andgrace to yourself when you get

(07:11):
it wrong because you are goingto get it wrong.
Oh boy.
I made a pig's ear of it.
So here's your invitation.
Go back and listen to guestepisode that moved you extract
one lesson, one strategy, onemoment of truth, and then share

(07:33):
it.
Share it with a friend or fellowexpat woman, or even share it
with me.
If you have an authentic storyto tell about moving from your
home country to live in the USA,send me an email at guests at
the places we call home.com.
We'll chat about your journey,the things you love about living

(07:55):
in the USA, the challengesyou've overcome and tips that
you might want to share withother expat women listening.
Oh, that book I read from WisdomFrom Above, it's by an author by
the name of Brian Simmons.
And this is not a sponsorshipissue or anything.
It's from my stash of Jesusfollower daily reading

(08:15):
collection.
That's it from me and my coldturmeric in ginger tea.
We'll meet up on the nextepisode.