How do you build community when you move abroad and everything in your life changes?

In this Insider Voices episode, we speak with Jennifer, an American who grew up in Hong Kong and Japan before moving abroad again as an adult to live in Prague. She shares what it was really like moving abroad without an established network, creating a sense of belonging from scratch, and navigating international life as a partner, parent, and educator-adjacent professional.

We explore how early motherhood abroad shaped her relationships, how she found an international school teacher community and parent network, and what it felt like giving birth and raising children outside her home country. Jennifer reflects honestly on the realities of teaching overseas with family nearby or far away, the emotional weight of building community as a trailing spouse, and the unspoken challenges many international educators face when relocating.

Jennifer also opens up about moving back to the United States, experiencing reverse culture shock, and rebuilding her identity after years abroad. We discuss how international experience reshapes your sense of home, how community changes over time, and why returning can feel just as disorienting as leaving.

This conversation offers grounded insight into moving abroad as a teacher, teaching overseas with family, and finding stability and connection within international school communities.

Inside the episode:

• Building community as a trailing spouse abroad
• Motherhood overseas and navigating unfamiliar systems
• Finding an international school teacher and parent network
• Reverse culture shock after returning home
• Identity shifts after living internationally
• Practical advice for expat teachers and globally mobile families

If you are exploring a teaching abroad guide, planning a move overseas with children, or seeking a stronger international school teacher community, this episode offers honest perspective and practical reassurance grounded in lived experience.

Links & Resources

🍬 Find lots of other global education goodies at:⁠ https://connectedglobal.org

📞Book a consultation with us! We’re here to personalize support for whatever choices you are facing. 😊

https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/

💬 Have a question or story of your own? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to feature listener topics in future episodes.

💓 Don’t forget to subscribe if you're navigating life, learning, and leadership abroad.