Ok, so the title already indicates that I am not having a good day, I am experiencing one of those “expats” days when you miss home, local food, friends, everything.
I know that the ones in the same situation relate to my feelings and see it as the downside of being an expat.
Yes, I agree with you, usually we move to a nicer location, the salary package is much better, the lifestyle is more appealing or the weather is more attractive, but my friends, let’s have an honest moment here for a second. There are times when you wonder even in paradise, when I wonder……….. IS IT WORTH IT?
Is it worth it being away from the ones you love? Is it worth it not having a regular contact with friends and family? Is it worth it missing the little ones (sons, nieces, nephews)? Is worth it breaking a family to allow daddy to earn a few more $$$?
Is it worth it being away from your parents and watching them getting old at distance?
Are the expatriates selfish?
Let me tell you a bit about myself, I am what you call an hardcore expat, actually, I was an expat kid.
I left Angola with my parents when I was two months old, moved to Lisbon, Portugal and grew up there until I moved to London in my late teens. I am now in the process of embarking on a new adventure to Puerto Rico. On each major phase of my life, I was in a different place.
Born in Africa, childhood, early teens in Portugal, late teens, young adult in London and now with a family, I am off to the Caribbean.
Will this be the end of my moving? I don’t know
Has it got advantages? Yes, I became a world citizen
Has it got disadvantages? Yes, you lose contact with people; your friends have moved on and live different life’s when you see them.
Should my daughter experience the same lifestyle? I don’t think so, not as much.
Was it worth it for me, for you? You decide
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
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1 comment:
Yeah, you must be having a bad day... lol, asking if it is worth it... while the answer is sooooo simple: for some of us it is, for others it is not - it depends on your personality. When I stay in one place too long (say, over a year) even my best friends start boring me, but once I move elsewhere I enjoy them visiting every now and then - and visiting them in their - and mine - old places. What fun to experienced the changes - changes in old places, changes in your friendships, lifestyle, surroundings. Why deprive your daughter that? She might like it better than you do.
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