Our organization tends to attract introverts, so, as an extrovert, I tend to stick out like a sore (but happy and chatty) thumb at meetings. The truth is, I’m not as extroverted as I once was. Why the change? As much as I love being around people, living overseas proved that there can be too much of a good thing.
I share more about this shift from extroversion to, well, less extroversion, in a post today at Taking Route.
Read it here: How Living Overseas Drained the Extrovert out of Me
October 27, 2015 at 7:55 pm
I just discovered your blog from this post, consider me a new reader! I’ve been living abroad since 2008 (including in China twice) and I can totally see the same thing happening to me — although I just thought it was just me getting old and less patient with people 😉
October 27, 2015 at 8:55 pm
Thanks so much, Edna! I’m honored to have you as a reader. I also have wondered if it’s just getting older, or going through different stages of life, but the more I talk to expats, the more I think there is definitely something about living overseas that speeds up the process. So, rest assured, you’re probably still patient with people, but just need more frequent breaks from them. Or, at least, it sounds nicer to phrase it that way, right? 🙂
October 29, 2015 at 3:01 am
Just moved to Kenya to work at a mission hospital my wife and I served in 25 years ago. I’m off the chart EXtro so resonated with your article as we begin again to serve in a culture that is very quiet and prone to introvert. Need to learn how to adapt yet not lose who I am.
October 29, 2015 at 4:11 pm
Thanks for your comment, Dean. It’s interesting to also consider how being in a more introverted culture affects this change.