Thriving as an Expatriate: Turning Culture Shock into Growth

When I first joined Saudi Aramco as a consultant in 2002, it took me, as a typical Belgian, some time to adjust—not only to the workplace culture but also to the informal norms of daily life. This is a very common experience for expatriates. The first year in a new country often brings a kind of “cultural shock,” where everything feels different: the way people work, communicate, and connect socially.

What makes the difference in how quickly someone adjusts isn’t just experience—it’s motivation. Expatriates who are curious, open, and willing to learn tend to develop cultural knowledge faster. They actively look for solutions when cultural challenges arise, rather than getting stuck in frustration.

With this mindset, they naturally start building relationships with local colleagues, observing, and adapting their behavior. Over time, this reduces the stress of being in an unfamiliar environment, helps avoid cultural blunders, and creates opportunities for trust and collaboration.

The benefits are clear: smoother adjustment, stronger support networks, and more energy to focus on performance and growth. Even when mistakes happen - as they inevitably do - motivated expatriates are more likely to persevere, seek feedback, and keep improving.

In short, cultural motivation and openness can make all the difference. They help expatriates adjust more quickly, reduce stress, and succeed not just in their roles, but in building meaningful connections across cultures.

Adapting to a new culture is never without challenges, but the way we approach it makes all the difference. Motivation and openness not only ease the stress of transition, they also turn cultural differences into opportunities for growth.

My own journey as an expatriate taught me that curiosity and persistence are powerful allies in navigating change. Today, as a psychologist, I carry this same lesson into my practice: by respecting and embracing each client’s cultural background, I can create the trust and understanding needed for meaningful progress. In the end, adjustment is less about simply “fitting in” and more about learning that thriving occurs in connection with others.

Sources:

Arnab, S., Walaszczyk, L., Lewis, M., Kernaghan-Andrews, S., Loizou, M., Masters, A., ... & Clarke, S. (2021). Designing mini-games as micro-learning resources for professional development in multi-cultural organisations. Electronic Journal of eLearning, 19(2), 44-58.

Aririguzoh, S. (2022). Communication competencies, culture and SDGs: effective processes to cross-cultural communication. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 1-11.

Mahmoud, R. S., Kamil, S. A., Mohammed, M., & Madhi, Z. J. (2024). Cross-cultural leadership approaches for managing diverse workforces globally. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(5), 682-699.

Setti, I., Sommovigo, V., & Argentero, P. (2022). Enhancing expatriates’ assignments success: the relationships between cultural intelligence, cross-cultural adaptation and performance. Current Psychology, 41(7), 4291-4311.