What I’ve Learned in 30 Days Abroad.
A month ago, everything was new. We were exhausted, excited, scared, and ready for a new adventure. Thirty days later, some things still feel strange, but others are beginning to feel like ours. Here are the lessons this first month has taught me.
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Homesickness comes in waves.
It’s not constant, and it doesn’t always show up when expected. Sometimes it’s a fleeting moment - watching friends embrace on the street or a dog playing fetch in the park. Sometimes it’s the smells, making me miss pumpkin spiced lattes and getting cinnamon rolls for the kids at our favorite coffee shop. Right now, the beginning of fall has made us miss Saturday football days - spent with buffalo chicken dip and open windows.
Other days, it feels like our entire day is one big wave of homesickness; Missing the ease of getting out of the house, convenience of having a car, feeling confident in our school roles, and having family and friends so close.
Homesickness reminds me of what we love and where we’ve come from, but it also shows me how our hearts are learning to stretch. To hold the familiar and the new.
Joy in Small Wins
Since moving, our motto has been to “celebrate the tiny victories”: finding the right bus, remembering a word in Croatian and using it correctly, or making it through a day that felt overwhelming.
Our first month here has been difficult for us in ways we weren’t expecting, and that was hard on us at times. Lyra had a really tough first week in her Croatian daycare. As our social butterfly, it was really hard on her that none of the other kids could speak English, even though the adults could. A speed bump we didn’t anticipate. With the help of the daycare, she has been able to make some meaningful connections with older kids who speak English. It was a small act of kindness, but one that has helped Lyra feel more comfortable and confident in her new space. We’re happy to report her second week in daycare was wonderful and she is her bubbly and sassy self again.
Other small wins this month include discovering snacks the kids love, getting out of the house more (even if just for groceries), making new friends, and having days that feel more ordinary than overwhelming.
Belonging Takes Time
You don’t wake up one morning suddenly “at home.” It’s gradual - found in repeated routines, familiar faces, and the comfort of doing something a second or third time.
Before moving, I made a promise to myself to make more time to create. I made a big step forward this week by attending my first pottery class. In all honesty, going out and doing things by myself has felt really daunting. The fear of messing up and lack of confidence in myself have held me back.
Going to the pottery class felt like a hug I didn’t even know I needed. I came home to Myles who was bursting with pride that I did it, and it was in that moment that I felt like a real person again. Starting to feel the shift out of survival mode into our new life here in Zagreb.
Belonging is also about the people. Finding our people takes time - the shopkeeper who recognizes your face, the co-workers who check in and invite you to lunch, the neighbors who smile back and say hello, or the parents at school who start to remember your name. Each small connection reminds us we’re not just passing through, we’re planting roots.
Gratitude Expands
Because everything is new, I notice more: laundry swaying on balconies, neighborhood cats playing across the street, children’s voices outside my office door, and the hum of our neighborhood at night. Gratitude shows up in people’s small kindnesses. Someone helping with directions, patience when I fumble the language, or smiling at me at the market.
I’m grateful for our family’s resilience, and for the people who have sat with us during some of our lowest moments, listening, encouraging, and validating every feeling. Gratitude comes quicker now and living abroad makes me notice more, and in noticing, I’ve found so much to be thankful for.
Shared Adventure Bonds Us
As a family, we’re never relied on each other more. Every confusing turn, every misstep, every small win; we’re in it together, and we’ve become stronger for it.
We’re navigating streets we’ve never walked before, figuring out public transportation, learning a new language, creating routines, and discovering a new culture. That’s a lot — and I’m really proud of us for all we’ve accomplished and adapted to, especially on the hard days.
More adventures I’m looking forward to in the coming weeks and months are the pumpkin festival, fall in Zagreb, market Saturdays, October break, Halloween with the kids!
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A month isn’t long, but it’s enough to remind me that home isn’t instant. This first month has truly been about survival - most days spent just trying to make it through as we find our new normal. Other days feel lighter, more ordinary, allowing space for little joys, new adventures, and dreams yet to come. Both the hard days and the lighter ones belong in this season of change, and both are teaching us, shaping us, and slowly helping us build a life that feels like ours here in Zagreb.
Thanks for reading.
Haley
