toria

Hi all,

For those expats who have gone back home, i was just wondering if you have made many changes to your life as a result of your overseas experience.

For example have you changed from before;-

where you live?
what type of house you live in?
what sorts of things you do on the weekend?
what you do in the different seasons?
Hobbies / Activites?

We seem to 'do' a lot more in NZ and activities seems much more accessable, and I guess Im wondering if we'll do these things in the UK if we return........

Thanks, Vic

ann m

I've pondered this before Vic too.

I still have no idea where my journey will end up - whether we stay in Alberta or return to the UK.

But my 'overseas experience' as you put it, has been a positive one regardless, and it certainly has made us (as in "us" as a couple) examine some of the things you list above.

We left a large house with a large (unmanagable) garden and no neighbours within hailing distance, together with a mortgage to hang ourselves in the UK.

We have bought a similar square footage home here in Canada, with a small garden, neighbours to wave to but they're not in your face, no back garden privacy due to the obligatory wire fencing, and a road as neat as Wysteria Lane (Desperate Housewives fans will know what I'm talking about ). Woe betide you if you have weeds We left a village five miles from civilisation and now live 4 mins outside a town. These elements alone would send me back looking for a completely different home than the one we left (both in terms of the area and the physical bricks and mortar).

As a family we rarely had (or perhaps took) the time to go for walks or "do" stuff - but here we make a conscious effort to do so. Why? Because it's all still a bit new? I don't know if there is more to do, but we take the time to try it.

In the UK we had a decent group of friends that we saw regularly and that has been hard and slow to replace. So I feel we don't socialise as much here as perhaps we used to. We are the four musketeers !

Have my priorities changed? Perhaps a little, here and there. If we return to the UK, it will be to an extremely modest semi, with a big mortgage again, but I don't feel I put so much priority on my 'square footage' now - I know our family can muddle by quite happily wherever we live. We've camped out in about 5 temporary homes in the last 8 years (due to building a house) and I know we will be fine wherever. I know I can bring my life down to a much more basic level - in so many senses of the word - and still be extremely fulfilled.

I do know that if we should return, we will make way more of an effort to go and see more of the UK. One does become a little lazy and blase about a 4 or 5 hour drive over there - I mean, that's ages! Here, you'd barely get to the neighbouring provincial border!!

I'm happy that I've "done" Europe, or the bits I wanted to see - and I notice that is a great pull for many on their return.

If we did leave Canada, I know I would sorely miss my sunshine and the space, the huge blue skies and the freedom that goes with being mortgage free. These are important elements of my new life here. But, when it all boils down to it, my family's enduring love, health and happiness far outweigh sunshine, space and monthly payments.

The one big thing that I would enjoy hugely again in the UK is a year-round gardening experience. And I'd be happy with a modest 60 foot patch next time. You see - we'll be so busy doing other stuff, that we won't have the time to do gardeing

Some return and pick up exactly where they left off. Others return with a new agenda and direction - and I think we would slot into the second category.

Emigrating is adventurous and brave, it can be exhausting and draining emotionally and financially, but if you come away from such a leap and have learnt nothing about yourself at all, boy, what a wasted opportunity


.

lisajhb

I liked your observation

sans

I liked your observation too Not sure how things are going to pan out for us yet..............But i definitely want to see more of the Uk and Scotland and my brief encounter with Ireland was way to short.....but we loved the west coast of Ireland. OH has slid back into his old job..........which means we can live anywhere in the Uk.. So who knows .

Kath & Graham

We changed were we live and thats about it!! Bought a lovely house in a sorta village area, made some new fabbie girlfriends at school (which I never used to mix before). All been to the pub at lunchtime today!! We havent been able to do things like cycling tho which Im really peed off about as we loved cycling in Perth and its too dangerous here. Oh yeh we bought a trailer tent which has turned out to be quite fun. Gone back to gym and just enjoying weekends going different places...

Oh yeh and today I found out Im gonna be a great Auntie really chuffed about that one!!!!!!!!

Kath

JRB

Hi I made sure that we live in walking distance to town and wanted to live in a vibrant town. After being in Carine which felt like isolated suburbia,I love being able to walk everywhere. I love living somewhere where there is more going on. At weekends we are so much more sociable and seem to have much more going on. We also go camping which we didn't do in Aus. Now it
is summer here we seem to go to loads of fetes and fairs. Weekends in Perth were spent working or going to Hilary's! Exciting stuff!