When we found out it was ‘official’ that we were moving home, I wasn’t quite ready to share our news with the internet world, simply because I wasn’t sure myself how I felt just yet. I didn’t know what to tell you guys. There were so many mixed emotions that I just needed to sit with the news for a bit.
I turned to my fellow contributing author of Once Upon an Expat, and recent repatriate, Nicole Webb, to see how she managed with going home after living in China for almost 7 years.
Below is the interrogation interview I had with her in hopes she could give me a bit of insight into life on the other side of being an expat. You can find Nicole down under, writing at Mint Mocha Musings and find out more in her bio below.
How long did you live in China?
We moved to Hong Kong in 2010 when I was pregnant. In 2014, we packed up and moved to the middle of China, Xi’an to be precise, where we lived for 2.5 years.
What were the best parts of living there?
Wow, where do I start…. Living overseas was an exciting, challenging and never-ending adventure….as a family and individuals, I think we all got to experience and see so many amazing things, we would never, otherwise, have had the opportunity to. We also met life-long friends on our journey who are irreplaceable.
The worst?
I think being away from family, the goodbyes. Do they ever get easier? Missing special occasions….
In China, I really missed driving and it felt like I was missing a huge chunk of my independence. Also the language barrier made it difficult on a daily basis on so many counts. We also got sick a lot in China, which was no doubt due to the different kinds of food we were eating and lack of hygiene we were used to. Having no English doctors in the city meant we became masters at ‘self-diagnosing!’
How did you feel when you found out you were leaving?
Terrified! While it was something my husband and I knew we had to do, we also felt sick to our stomachs when the decision was first made. We had always been in two minds but the perfect opportunity came up back in Australia, and we knew we had to take it.
Over the next few weeks we got our heads around leaving expat life and finishing our incredible journey. Hopefully though, it’s not the end.
Was moving back home better or worse than you anticipated?
It was actually a lot easier than I imagined.. when I say easier, I mean just ‘living’ in general. Suddenly I could get anything I needed, everyone spoke my language, there were doctors, chemists, hairdressers, supermarkets… in fact so many options it was almost overwhelming.
I could walk my little girl to school… such a novelty….and I could drive, anywhere I wanted to! Plus, my family was now only a hop, skip and a jump away. I got to catch up with so many old friends and make some lovely new friends.
That said, there are plenty of times I miss the exhilaration of living in a foreign country, the adventure! I think I always will. Plus, I dearly miss my China tribe. In the expat world, you become incredibly close over a very short time span. You become very reliant on each other. It’s been hard to let go.
Does your life at home now look the same as it did before?
Pretty much. Because I’m a freelancer, I still work from home or cafes… that hasn’t changed. But there are more opportunities for me here. I still do school pick up and drop off, it’s just not a two hour journey each way in manic traffic where you best keep your eyes closed! Oh and we no longer need to wear masks on a daily basis in winter.
What surprised you about repatriating?
Being away for 6.5 years, in some ways it felt like we had been in a time warp. Coming back it felt like so much had changed. We had also never lived in our home country with a child…so suddenly I had to work out schools and playgrounds and all those sorts of things, I’d never worried about. For the first six months I was constantly looking up at the crisp blue sky! After living in such a polluted city, it really was incredible to be in such a beautiful climate with lots of green grass and space. It is something I no longer take for granted. Another big surprise was how expensive everything was. You pay the price for that fresh air!
Do you have any tips for anyone who might be experiencing anxiety about leaving the expat life?
Deep breaths!!
If you can, try to move to a different area/suburb so you don’t feel like you are coming full circle. I think going back to the exact place you left can be a little depressing. We purposely chose a suburb we weren’t familiar with so it still felt like we could explore somewhere new. Try to plan get aways or different events, so you still feel like you’ve got that sense of adventure.
Remember, it takes time…..
A News Reader with Sky News Australia, in 2010, Nicole, her hotelier husband (and bump) took a leap of faith and moved to the city that never sleeps, Hong Kong! After four years, they took expat life up a notch and moved to deepest, darkest China — Xi’an to be precise (home of the terracotta warriors)!Two and half years later, it was time to return home to Sydney, Australia. Nicole works as a freelancer doing all things media! She also runs her blog Mint Mocha Musings.com and is writing her memoir on life in China.
Follow her blog:
Mint Mocha Musings – The hotelier’s wife: An expat affair in Asia
www.mintmochamusings.com