I once had an interview for a job I was absolutely unqualified for. Not technically—on paper, I checked all the boxes. But deep down, I knew I was walking into a situation where I’d have to fake a level of confidence I didn’t feel.
The morning of the interview, my nerves were so bad that I made an absolutely ridiculous choice: I wore my tightest jeans. And not just tight—we’re talking painted-on, circulation-cutting, impossible-to-sit-down-in tight.
Why? Because I thought if I could just focus on not splitting my jeans, I wouldn’t have time to worry about my actual anxiety.
Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.
But what did work—eventually—was understanding how my nerves, self-doubt, and overthinking were all signs of something deeper. The same thing that shows up when we move abroad, try to integrate, and feel like we’re failing at every turn.
Which brings me to today’s lesson: 5 English idioms that capture the chaotic beauty of the expat experience. Buckle up.
