The positive power of nostalgia

Nostalgia

When you leave your home country for good, you open yourself to a whole new experience and emotions. Every little thing that you see, hear or smell can take you back unexpectedly to your childhood or your home. It can get depressing and sad at times, but there’s always something positive.

This week I came across an article that talk about the feeling of nostalgia. It caught my attention because it revealed a new aspect that I hadn’t considered before:

Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders.

Tierney, 2013, The New York Times.

Immediately, I related this quote to what many of us experience when moving abroad. For the most, you can get stuck in the negative part: I miss my friends, my family, my home, my food, and so on, but "I don’t want to or I can’t go back." What you may not realize is that you can use that same feeling to move forward.

The first thing to note is that it’s okay to feel nostalgic or homesick. Feeling nostalgic helps you to deal with the transition. You should feel proud of your roots and what you lived and, then, use that feeling to look forward. Those memories can become a driving force to succeed in a new country.

In this regard, an article from The Guardian reveals that when people feel nostalgic they are more likely to commit to volunteering, they bond more closely with the people surrounding them, and they are more willing to socialize with strangers. This is exactly what you need if you want to fit in a new society.

Fun and friendly

Often, you get to meet people who are stuck in what they left behind. They live yearning for the past. If you want to reach your goals and have a better life, you need to get rid of that mindset. Latinos are known to be fun people, talkative, warm and open. So, embrace that part of your cultural background and use it to fit in.

These days is almost impossible to escape from the past. Facebook is now a constant reminder of what you been doing in the past 10 years, and Netflix is remaking the TV shows you used to watch when you were a kid. Overall, social media uses nostalgia to connect with you in another level. You can’t hide from it, but you can make the most out of it.

Use nostalgia to reach new goals. For example, my first holidays away from my family were a major mix of nostalgia with homesickness. So, I decided that I would do my best every year to spend the holidays with them. Instead of longing for the past, work to bring the good memories back.

In Spanish we always say “to remember is to live again,” and this is what nostalgia brings to you. Whenever you have a chance to bring back memories, embrace the moment with joy and look forward. 

It's hard, but it's not impossible

When you decide to move abroad, looking for better opportunities, you are off to a rough start. The trick is remaining realistic and determined.

The current generation of Latino immigrants to Canada has different characteristics than previous waves. Most of us are professionals and speak the language. Having a bachelor’s degree leads us to have different priorities. We are not here to settle for less and we are not looking to simply survive. We are coming to countries like Canada because we want a better quality of life, we want a chance to realize our potential.

Our expectations are different and sometimes unrealistic. Among some, there is an aspiration to keep certain lifestyle. We've been accustomed to going out and sharing quality time with friends. We enjoyed long holidays and lots of spare time. Most importantly, we are used to having the constant support of our family. All of this changes when you move to a different country.

The reality is that, unless a company recruits you, when you get here you are Mr. or Mss. Nobody. No one knows you and your fancy degree is pretty much worthless, unless you prove what you can do. This means you have to start from scratch, be open and flexible cause chances are you will end up doing things you never imagined doing in your home country.

Your first two or three years in a new country, like Canada, will test your ability to adapt. You need to work hard to make your way into the culture and the society. There won’t be long holidays to share with your family, and there won’t be much spare time to hang out with your friends.

My advice is to be realistic, keep your feet on the ground because it is all worth it. No matter what you are doing or how difficult things are, don’t lose sight of your goals. It’s hard to leave your family and friends behind, to start from zero, to prove yourself and others that you can do it... but it’s not impossible! It just takes hard work.