I have been teaching English to expats in Indiana since 2004. Over the years, I have noticed some patterns. When people arrive, they are extremely busy setting up their households, getting cars, talking with people at schools for their children, and when their personal belongings arrive from overseas, they have more unpacking to do.
After about three months, students get sick and have to cancel a lesson or two until they feel better. The people who thrive are the ones who attend English classes, make friends, drive, and have a social life. Without a social network, some people feel isolated and suffer from depression. Accessing counseling seems to have a social stigma attached to it, so it seems that many people suffer in silence.
Some relief happens when the family gets to travel to various tourist attractions in the United States. Some of the most popular places I have heard mentioned are the following, in no particular order: Chicago, Disney World, Niagara Falls, The Grand Circle, and New York.
