Move-fix: Relocating twice during a global pandemic
By: Katrina Gnatek
Tags: Company Culture, Berlin, Relocation, Startup, Madrid

Reece Chittenden, project manager finance, shares his roller coaster of a relocation story and how to find your community anywhere — even during a global pandemic.

My relocation story has been a roller coaster of emotions. During 2020, I’ve lived and worked on three different continents and caught two repatriation flights. Granted, I’m no stranger to travelling and moving from place to place. With a passion for solo backpacking trips, I’ve learned to love putting myself out there, meeting different people, and immersing myself in different cultures. But relocating twice during a global pandemic has put these skills to the test in a whole new way.

Repatriating…twice

At the start of 2020, I had the opportunity to travel and work for a consulting company in New York City. However, when news of COVID-19 struck, my long term contract was cut short, and I needed to be prepared to return to my home country of South Africa at a moment’s notice. As I waited for my inevitable exit, I decided to reconnect with a company I had casually visited while travelling in Germany — Taxfix.

The interview process was going well, and I had just received my case study challenge when I learned I had to leave New York. With only three days notice, I would have to pack up my life and fly home. Clearly, I wasn’t in the right headspace to continue with the recruitment process, let alone do a complex financial challenge. Fortunately, the hiring team was incredibly supportive and paused the process to allow me to make it home safely.

After two full days at the airport, a mad dash through the terminals, a 16-hour flight, and another eight hours waiting on the runway, I was home — sort of. I checked into a comfortable hotel for a two-week quarantine, where I continued my interviews with Taxfix. Some people were making banana bread during lock-down, I spent my time on Google Hangouts and Zoom calls.

I began working for Taxfix remotely in June. Being the first South African to go through virtual onboarding, even getting my laptop was uncharted territory for our Internal Operations Team. Luckily they worked it out, and I was able to get up and running with my new role. Three months and a few visits to the consulate later, I booked my second repatriation flight, and this time I was Berlin bound.

My tips for building a community wherever you go — even during a pandemic

When it finally sunk in that I was relocating once again, I started to think about what I enjoyed about my last moves, and ‘the people’ was always the answer. Moving someplace new and meeting people can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a list of my tips for building a community wherever you go:

Live with people

I’ve lived with close to 40 different people in the past four years in various shared living spaces. This option isn’t for everyone, of course, but you certainly learn of a lot from living with other people. It’s a constant lesson in how to be tolerant, and accepting of differences, and how to resolve issues. When I moved to Berlin, I found a shared living arrangement through Habyt, which is an all-inclusive housing solution for young professionals. My first night out of quarantine, everyone got together for dinner and beers. Since then, they’ve become my closest friends in Berlin.

Start in your comfort zone

Moving to a new city can be daunting since there are a lot of changing variables in the beginning. So go down to the fundamentals. What makes you happy? Where do you feel the most comfortable? For me, that was sports. I feel comfortable in that environment. So I joined a touch rugby club — when Corona regulations allowed for that — which helped me interact with people and build friendships from a place of comfort. Don’t just jump into something you’ve never done before and feel overwhelmed. It’s going to be a journey. Once you’ve established those comfort levels, you’ll be able to break out of your shell and build more confidence from there.

Say yes

When someone invites you out — and if it’s within your comfort zone — say yes. Try to fight that voice inside your head that holds you back. If someone says, ‘come get a coffee with me and some friends,’ you might feel uncomfortable doing that. But just through that one interaction, you could meet someone that you form a great friendship with. So go for it!

Leverage your work community

I chose to move to Germany largely because of the Taxfix culture. It was an exciting role, and I knew I would learn from a range of people from all over the world. Everyone here, no matter what department or level, wants to have a conversation and wants to learn. There might be a topic I don’t understand, for example, when I’m working with our DevOps Team. And they’re very willing to explain complex answers in an easy-to-understand manner. It’s very much a learning community with a big focus on interrelationships that encourages everyone to be curious and open-minded while always asking ‘WHY?’

Get comfortable and then branch out

Once you establish your base-line, start to branch out. Expat groups on Facebook, for example, are a great way to meet people when you first move to a city. But it’s also a bit of a caveat, as it’s easy to get sucked into a stay-within-your-our-circle mindset. Make a conscious effort to meet different people. If you’re only spending time with people from your home country, then you’re limiting your cultural exposure.

My reclaimed lesson from 2020

2020 has been a humbling experience. On top of having to adapt to the unexpected, I’ve rediscovered an important lesson. Putting yourself out there, even in small ways, helps you become more comfortable with yourself and learn more than you could imagine from others.