Acceptance letter to a Belgian university in hand, Mariam Hanno was a woman with a plan. Unfortunately, a mix of travel hurdles and souring political relations between Egypt and Qatar turned her life upside down.

Finding herself on a flight to Egypt instead, Mariam’s expulsion from the diaspora was sudden, unexpected, and painful. How do you even begin to deal with that?

In this episode, Mariam gets vulnerable about grappling with social isolation, struggling to understand the local lingo, and the grief she experienced while saying goodbye not to a person but to an entire lifetime left behind.

So, yes, this episode is basically the therapy session Monica and Mariam didn't know they needed. And, despite talking about her language barrier, Mariam does it all with a flawless Egyptian accent.

Join in on this therapy session through Instagram @theforeignlocal.