catlover1 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Hello all. Well I just arrived back in oz from Dublin. I'm feeling mighty strange about being back and very out of sorts! I visited friends in London and my family in Dublin and I missed aspects of oz but am starting to feel like I don't belong anywhere or have that place I can call home which was first Ireland and then the uk fir 20 years. This was my first trip back in 2 years so pretty emotional too as my little sis had her 4th child whilst I was there. Has anyone else had similar feelings when they've gone back to visit? I feel like in belong in three places with parts of me in Ireland, England and Australia!! Maybe I just need a lot of sleep!! :-) and will feel better when I'm over my jet lag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen85 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Unfortunately that is the curse of the expat right there, you never feel that sense of belonging you just have to learn to manage it best you can! Have a rest you probably need it after the long flight too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlagrif Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 My husband and I haven't been living in Oz long enough yet, but it is becoming home now. I have lived in UK and another country that are my homes, and every time I visit I feel like a visitor within the streets but never at the house, and every time I leave it feels sad and weird but then I'm back in my next home and it feels normal again. I always say I have two homes because they are, and Oz will be our third one - the fact you don't live there anymore doesn't mean it isn't home, it will always be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 One is blessed having and being at home in more than one place. Don't compare them they are different if not equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I always feel that part of me is somewhere else as well but that does not mean I want to live in the past in any of the countries I lived in before Aus. I am always glad to get back and even if it feels a little different at first soon settle right back in to things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geraldine Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 It's an interesting question and each of us have different experiences. I suppose in one way it's like moving house even within the same area or going back to the home you grew up in. The home I grew up in holds special memories but I don't want to go back. Nor do I want the first house I bought. The second however was very special to me and I'm unlikely to ever feel the same excitement as the day I put the keys in that front door. The third house, I couldn't wait to leave so wouldn't even bother driving past for memories sake. Our last home in the UK we still own and was where our youngest was born and the kids grew up. I'm trying to look at it as a business now it's rented out and indeed since our tennents put their XMAS dex up on 1st November it doesn't really look like mine anymore lol ! So when we go back to the UK at Christmas and visit old haunts and lovely family and friends I too will no doubt feel the pangs of recognition and the comfort of familiarity. I will try and accept this as part of the challenge of moving anywhere.....down the street, new area, new country etc... Be a citizen of the world and be proud of that. Hope you feel happy in your circumstances soon :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest26012 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Just heading back "home" to Perth after two weeks in uk visiting rellies. I don't feel "out of sorts" as I could never live here anymore but I can understand those who do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 It always felt a little surreal when I arrived in UK on trips, then I started to worry about having to leave and that definitely made me feel out of sorts! As has been said - curse of the expat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I think part of it will be jetlag- it is a long and quite depressing flight back and your body has to re adjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catlover1 Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 Just wanted to say thanks for all the replies. It really helps knowing others have similar experiences and to get a different perspective too :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seraphim Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Humans are generally creatures of habit and any upheaval will probably be unsettling to most people. Once you've settled downs and found the 'new normal' for you it might be easier. or you could be experiencing [h=1]"hiraeth", A sense of longing, of homesickeness, for nostalgia, or for a place that may never have been but that was felt as having existed in the past, that never really existed. [/h], which I'd imagine most people who are brave enough to take the plunge experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.