Confessions of an Accidental “Avocado” Abroad
What Emma’s abroad story teaches us about identity, judgment, and redefining ourselves — one awkward translation at a time.
One of the most surprising parts of living abroad is how much it holds a mirror up to who we are — not just through what we discover internally, but through how the world reflects us back. For many women, moving abroad brings a collision between personal identity and external perception, often highlighting the assumptions, stereotypes, and invisible baggage we carry, especially as foreigners.
But in Emma’s case, those experiences became a catalyst for growth. Whether navigating stereotypes about American women in Morocco or accidentally calling herself an avocado in Chile, her story is one of resilience, curiosity, and finding power in self-definition, no matter where she lands.
💖 Where are you from? Hawai'i
💖 Where have you lived abroad & where do you live now?
I've lived in Paris, Morocco & the UK. I currently am back home in Hawai'i.
💖 What’s one thing living abroad has taught you about yourself?
Living abroad has taught me (or rather maybe just reinforced) my love for livelong learning and exploration. I have met some of the most amazing people while living abroad and have been so inspired by their stories and life experiences. It has also taught me that I am much more self-sufficient and capable than I ever gave myself credit for. While I recently had to move home for family reasons, I loved my time living abroad and definitely want to continue doing so in the future. It's such an amazing thing to know that you can pick yourself up, move across the world, and be absolutely fine.
💖 What’s an assumption people make about you as a foreign woman that frustrates you?
When I was younger, I think I used to let people's assumptions about me bother me much more so than they do now. Typically, most people's assumptions about me come mostly from being an "American woman" abroad rather than generally a "woman" abroad. I used to fight hard to prove I wasn't the negative stereotype (i.e. that Americans are all stupid, ignorant about the world, entitled etc.), but I've since stopped putting energy into caring about people's assumptions about me.
One instance that stands out, however, was when I first moved to Casablanca and was looking for an apartment. I had a Moroccan woman refuse to rent to me because she thought American women were "too loose" and that I would bring strange men home at all hours of the night. In hindsight, I'm glad she didn't rent to me (she would have been an absolute pain of a landlord), but I remember it really bothered me at the time.
💖 What’s the weirdest or funniest translation mishap you’ve had?
This actually happened on a study abroad trip where I was living with a Mapuche host family in rural Chile. We had just sat in on an amazing lecture where our host father (a prominent leader in the community) spoke about his incredible environmental justice work stopping a huge mining project that would have polluted the local water supply. At the dinner table, I was effusively telling my host dad in Spanish how much I appreciated his speech and how it partially inspired my goal (at the time) to become an environmental lawyer.
For context, I speak French and was learning Spanish at the time and was still getting used to a lot of the new grammar and syntax. The French word for lawyer is ""avocate"" and in Spanish, it's ""abogado"". I was steamrolling through my sentences in Spanish, surprising even myself with my combination of different tenses and vocabulary, until the very end, when I mixed the two and proclaimed: ""para ser un *avocado*"".
I told my host dad that his speech inspired me to become an avocado. Everyone at the dinner table had a real good laugh at that one.
💖 If you want to read more from Emma, follow here Substack where she writes about the environmental impacts of tourism and travel. 🌱
Check out her writing here ⤵️
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Emma’s story as an American woman abroad hits close to home. I’ve had plenty of moments where people projected assumptions onto me just because of where I’m from — especially when it comes to politics. Being American abroad is complicated. But stepping outside the U.S. gave me something I never expected: a front-row seat to how the rest of the world sees us. Sometimes it’s admiration, sometimes it’s judgment, sometimes it’s straight-up confusion.
It’s frustrating when people try to define you based on where you’re from. It makes you pause and ask: Who am I outside of nationality? Am I American? Am I [insert adopted identity here]? A mosaic of all the places I’ve lived? Or... am I an avocado? (Jokes)
So now I want to hear from you 👉 Have you ever felt judged abroad because of where you’re from? How did you handle it?
Tell me in the comments — I read every single one.
Catch ya next week!
Muah 💋
Juvi