What's your emergency plan? | Resilient Expats

Starting a new life is overwhelming

Setting up your life in a new country is so overwhelming. Even when you have a great support system, the first few weeks are just crazy!

There’s a new job, which is huge in itself and has made your brain as mushy as a saturated sponge. But you still have to get medicals, set up a bank account, learn a new phone system, figure out transportation, set up internet, and maybe choose a cable plan ….

You’re learning to drive on the other side of the road, you need to buy school uniforms, and figure out where in the heck to get a HAT so your child will be allowed to go to recess, find a dentist for that pressing issue, and how about some decent curtains so you’ll be able to SLEEP ….

Meanwhile, you’ve had one too many meals of tuna straight from the can, and even your kids are complaining about eating nothing but cornflakes for 17 meals in a row, but finding real food just hasn’t made its way to the top of the list.

You’re dazed and bleary. You want to cry because the simplest things can be so hard.

This place IS still wonderful and fascinating, and yet….

The local refrains are wearing on you. One more “Inshallah” could make you boil over. (Translation: “Who knows!” because it can mean anywhere from “Only an act of God could prevent it” to “It will only happen by an act of God,” and you can’t tell the difference yet.)

You do get through it, though.

Weight lifts off your shoulders when the basics are sorted out.

You’re proud of yourself for driving to the store without any wrong turns. You smile at the vendor who knows your usual order and is almost like family by now.

Routine emerges.

And you realize you do need a plan for emergencies

Then suddenly it hits you: “I have NO idea how to get help in an emergency!”

You went from, “Just dial 911,” to a place where ambulances are slow and don’t even carry medical equipment, police officers can’t speak your language, and you’re not sure if fire trucks even exist.
You went from having a friendly pediatric nurse on call, to not knowing who to call, not speaking the language, and not having the same expectations as local medical staff.
You went from having a deep knowledge of the local plants and animals, to not knowing what's poisonous vs. safe.

Things you took for granted suddenly feel incredibly foreign. It’s a jolt to your sense of identity to lack that baseline of safety and security.

Things happen. So how do you prepare?

Even though life overseas is mostly fantastic, problems still arise. In our years overseas we’ve experienced a number of minor emergencies, and have known of major emergencies and tragedies in our communities.

I know from personal experience how hard it is to dial a phone with trembling hands. I know how scary it is to need medical help but have no hope of an ambulance. I know how lonely it is to be told your child needs a traumatic medical procedure, and have no one to discuss it with.

I’ve wondered how to prepare my kids to respond to an emergency. Back home I would have taught them our address, phone number, how and when to call 911. Living overseas, it hasn’t been so easy. We don’t have a landline. We don’t even have an address! Emergency services are not reliable, or quick, or anything else we expect.

Learn from my experiences. Use the tools I’ve prepared for you.

Over time, we’ve come up with ways to feel a sense of being prepared and equipped.

I’ve put together my top 10 tips, which you can grab for free HERE. It’s a well rounded head start.

I’ve put ALL my knowledge and experience into a longer workbook. It’s organized to reduce overwhelm and provide a sense of relief.

Get your free copy of

My Security Net

10 Things to Know Before an Emergency

My top 10 tips for being prepared in a new country

As a VIP

You’ll get:

—> Access to ALL my free resources. <—

—> TIPS and encouragement straight to your inbox. <—

—> Advance notice of all my NEW offerings. <—-

You’ll get:

–> Access to ALL my free resources.

–> TIPS and encouragement straight to your inbox.

–> Advance notice of all my NEW offerings.

Cover your bases.

I’m on a mission to raise a healthier generation of expats!

Reducing stress so you can focus more clearly on life is one part of that.

I’ve compiled a list of

I’ve pulled together pointers not just for medical emergencies, but for unexpected situations at school or at home, with your transportation, your pets or your finances.

Do you have a contingency plan (that your kids know & understand) in case you’re running late to pick up your child from school?
Do you know how to top up your mobile phone credit?
Do you know what you’ll do in the event of car trouble?
Do you - and each of your family members - know how to give directions to your house?