Expats, You CAN Go Home

I came across an interesting article last week from the perspective of an 'expat' who wrote 4 Ways Living Abroad Changes You...Forever.  While the author generally advocates the benefits of travel, it was his perspective as an 'expat' that got me thinking.  Suddenly I realized that I, too, was an 'expat' while I lived in Australia.  And in spite of nodding my head in agreement to most of the article coupled with my recent move home, I found I  strongly disagreed with one of the author's key points.

According to Wikipedia, 'an expatriate (or expat for short) is a person temporarily or permanently living in a country other than of the person's upbringing'. So I guess the 12yrs that I spent living in Melbourne qualifies me!  Interestingly, until now I've never thought of myself that way, tending to think of expats more in terms of people from English, Western countries who live in non-English speaking places.  

But in the article, the author states: 'You can never go back home'.  As you may recall from my recent post, I have done just that.  After being away from Vancouver, the place where I was brought up, my family and I have just relocated here.  And what do I think of coming home?

Firstly, I had no expectations that things were going to be the same.  How could they be?  Although I have been back for a few months at a time over the the years, I'd been gone for 16yrs! I fully expected things to change, people to change, and relationships to change.  But the reality was, I still have my closest friends and family here and they have been great upon my return.  Yes, I am not entirely the same person that I was before I left due to my experiences, but then again, neither are they.  But in the end, deep down, we haven't changed and neither have our core values. 

 I had greatly underestimated how the values of a society can differ from one another and thus affect one's sense of belonging in the long run.

Secondly, for the first 8yrs or so while I lived in Australia, I still referred to 'home' as Vancouver.  But 4yrs ago or so, I had unconsciously started to regard Melbourne as 'home'.  So moving back was actually a bit difficult psychologically and now, I catch myself still referring to Melbourne that way!   While in some ways I feel caught somewhere in the middle, I have still experienced a sense of belonging here where I grew up that I never quite realised that I missed.  There is something to be said about being able to connect with people who share a similar upbringing as you.  When I first went abroad, I accepted being 'different' as a necessary part of travel whether it be on a short term basis like on holidays, or on an ongoing long term basis as an expat.  I know that I can adapt quite easily to my environment.   

But merely adapting doesn't erase that fact you don't really ever fit in entirely and at at first, that was ok.

Don't get me wrong, I never consciously felt like an outsider while living in Australia--at least not all the time.  But now upon my return to Canada, I finally realize that the feeling was always there and it's been a pleasant surprise to find that gone now.  I feel like people understand me more, and vice versa.  It's just more 'comfortable' being me! 

So I think the answer to the question whether you can go home again or not lies within yourself and your expectations.  It's much like when you re-visit a destination that you had previously loved.  Why are you going back?  Is it based expecting that you will find things are they were the last time you were there?  If so, there is a good chance that you will be disappointed as things change.  But if you approach the return wanting to find a good experience within the existing framework which you had previously experienced, then you might be successful.  

We've been here for 6 months now, and maybe we've just been one of the lucky ones.  It's still early days yet but so far, I think we have settled in nicely.  Returning home has made me realise that I am truly a Canadian at heart. And how does that saying go?  Home is where the heart is.  Yes, expats, you CAN go home (if you want).

So what do you think?  Have you thought about going home or have you done it?  Leave us a comment below!

 

Tips to De-Clutter and Get Some Money For Your Stuff

It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate especially with young children in the household.  Prior to leaving on our 'Big Trip' of 2011 and now again prior to our immigration to Canada, we had to de-clutter our house. This time, we also aimed to get rid of our 2 vehicles, almost all of our furniture and unnecessary items such as home decor.  Sure, you can throw away stuff you don't need, or give it away to friends or charities.  But for us, we also like to make a few extra dollars 'recycling' it as the money would certainly come in handy when having to replace it once we moved to Canada.  

I'm happy to report that we managed to sell most everything we had intended to, and found homes for the rest.  Here's some Tips on how to get rid of your stuff, based on our recent experience in Australia:

Where Are We Now??

Life has been so busy the past few months--where do I start??  I suppose I better start 'here' and work backwards for a bit as so much has happened.

So where are we now?   We're in Vancouver, B.C. Canada!

48 hrs in Kuala Lumpur With Kids--What To Do

We’re not usually fans of big cities due to the faster pace, increased traffic and higher cost of accommodation.  On the other hand, cities can also offer interesting opportunities not readily available elsewhere.  So we consciously chose to have a 48hr stop over in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to seek out some things to do with the kids and came up with more than we actually had time for!  What did we get up to?

How We Managed To Fly With Carry On Bags Only

We’re off again on another trip to SEA, this time for 17 nights.  While we have always travelled fairly light on our past smaller trips, we still used to check 1 bag at 15kg and then carry on a day bag each plus a handbag/camera bag.  As we tend to take budget carriers, checked bags also have an extra charge.  But on our last trip that we realised that the weight of our 1 checked bag could possibly be redistributed to 2 carry on bags and that our carry on bags could be more efficiently packed.  So for this trip, we challenged ourselves to fly with carry-on baggage only!  Still, could we achieve the limit of 1 carry on each not exceeding 56cm x 36cm and at a maximum weight of 7kg, plus a handbag or laptop bag?  How did we do?

Accommodation In Asia: To Pre-Book Or Not?

One of the most asked questions we get is whether or not one should pre-book their accommodation when traveling on a budget in Asia.

As many of our readers should know, when we travel we rarely book in advance.  For many people, this is utterly unconceivable—scary even!   Here, we’d like to share with you our thoughts and tips on how we make this work.

Bangkok With Kids: 5 Fun Things To Do On A Budget

Bangkok is an amazing, vibrant city that blends first- world cosmopolitan perks like air-conditioned shopping centres with the ancient cultures of Asia featuring centuries-old temples and monuments.  But what’s there to do with the kids and on a budget?? 

The answer is:  more than you think!

Here are our Top 5 Favourite Affordable Things To Do With Kids in Bangkok: