spouse of scouse

I only lasted for 6 months in the UK before coming back to Perth to visit my family - back to Blighty today.

Do the 'goodbyes' get easier? Because this time they seem harder. Honestly expats (or as we're known in some circles, 'experts'), why do we do this to ourselves?! I'm not coming back for at least a year. Or thereabouts

See y'all on the flip side

Kim67

Safe travels. Say bye to Perth for me too, I haven't been home to visit her in eight years. Maybe next year hopefully.

Beoz

I no longer hang around for the inlaw's goodbye to their daughter. There's crying, fighting, all based on the leaving, its just unpleasant. I bail out a day early and meeting the wife at Heathrow for the flight.

quoll

Nope the older you get the harder they get. Bon voyage!

jad n rich

I love your flag


Oh and safe travels.

Bikergirl

I found it harder to say goodbye after a holiday to the uk than when we left. Odd isn't it.

Rhubarb65

Same for me, on my two visits back in the past 5 1/2 years, saying goodbye to the folks was far harder than when we originally left. The only way that I can rationalise it is that when we migrated, I had a 'million and one' other things going round in my mind and I somehow compartmentalized the emotion of leaving, bottled it away if you like. For me, saying goodbye certainly doesn't get easier as the years away pass.

ozzieeagle

I honestly thought the time before last when I left the UK, I figured I was saying goodbye to my Father for the last time. That was very very difficult.... Turned out I'd said goodbye to my Mother for the last time, which was totally unexpected in my book..... and I feel like I've done the goodbye to my 90 year old quite frail father for the last time twice.

Just saying it does get harder, and possibly for good reason.

5 times I've been back.... when I left my brother was 13/14..... next time he was circa 21 (IE: very different) Next time he was circa 32 with a good house and young family.... next time he was about 41 and had more grey hair than me..... this time he was 51 and definitely looked older than me, but was happy go lucky. I'm not sure how we've managed to maintain a proper brotherly bond...but we have. To me that is the toughest part of any trip I make back, seeing him and probably me change so much in between visits.

moneypenny20

My relatives have generally naffed me off enough that once it's time for me to leave I can't bloody wait.

Jerseygirl

In my 20 years of being an expat I would say no it doesn't get any easier.

What I do find strange is how we can slip out of one life and into another so easily...then do the reverse we we return to our adopted homeland.