Living far from home offers a unique lens on life. As an expat, I’ve come to realize that life is a series of circles—moments that begin, evolve, and eventually come full circle in ways we often fail to notice in our day-to-day routines. Each stage of this journey carries lessons, challenges, and small joys that shape the person I am becoming.

When I first moved abroad, I experienced what I can only describe as a life “reset.” Everything familiar—the streets I walked daily, the faces I recognized, the rhythm of life—was replaced by the unknown. Initially, it felt disorienting. Simple tasks, like buying groceries or navigating public transport, became exercises in humility and patience. Yet, over time, these experiences revealed the subtle beauty of life’s cycles: adaptation, growth, and eventual mastery.

Being away from family and familiar support systems also sharpened my awareness of relationships and their transient nature. I watched friendships form in new environments, sometimes fleeting, sometimes lasting, and recognized that just like seasons, people come and go. This taught me to embrace connection without clinging too tightly, appreciating the moments shared without fear of eventual separation. In many ways, these cycles mirror the circle of life itself—birth, growth, change, and departure.

Professionally and personally, living abroad forced me to confront discomfort and uncertainty regularly. Each challenge became a microcosm of the larger patterns in life. Learning a new language, adjusting to different workplace cultures, or navigating bureaucracies all required patience and resilience. I began to see setbacks not as failures, but as natural turns in life’s circle, each one providing insight, perspective, and sometimes, unexpected joy.

What struck me most profoundly was how this life abroad accentuated gratitude. Simple pleasures—a quiet morning with a cup of tea, a walk through a vibrant neighborhood, or a heartfelt conversation with a friend—became more significant. Distance, I realized, magnifies the value of moments we might otherwise take for granted. Life, in its circular rhythm, continuously brings us back to appreciation, reminding us that endings are often beginnings in disguise.

Cultural experiences added another layer to this reflection. Observing festivals, rituals, and traditions far from home made me more attuned to the universality of life’s patterns. Births, weddings, and farewells all carry the same essence, whether in the mountains of Nepal or the streets of a foreign city. Life, I noticed, is inherently cyclical across all cultures, and participating in these ceremonies abroad underscored a shared human experience that transcends geography.

As time passed, I noticed an inner transformation. The initial anxiety and loneliness gave way to a sense of rhythm—a recognition that life’s circles are not always predictable, but they are consistent. Challenges evolve into lessons, connections fade but leave impressions, and moments of joy recur in different forms. Each circle, no matter how small, contributes to the tapestry of existence, teaching patience, empathy, and resilience.

Being an expat, I am both an observer and a participant in life’s cycles. I witness beginnings and endings unfold around me while simultaneously navigating my own path. This dual perspective—inside and outside—has been humbling and enlightening. I’ve learned that while we cannot control the circles life presents, we can choose how we engage with them. Embracing impermanence, cherishing moments, and finding growth in change is perhaps the most profound lesson of all.

Ultimately, the circle of life is not a straight path but a series of loops, each connecting to the next. As an expat, living between worlds, I am continually reminded that life’s flow is constant. People leave and arrive, seasons change, and personal growth continues, often in quiet, unexpected ways. And in this ebb and flow, I have found peace, curiosity, and a deeper appreciation for the journey itself.