Expats--Reentry?

[sraplayas]

Any Expat moms out there wanting to talk about reentry? We may be facing reentry in the future and I would be interested in getting connected with other moms who have gone through this.

[EVC]

I re-entered about 2 years ago after living abroad for many years. I had (and sometimes still have) major "reverse culture shock." It's not easy, that's for sure :(

[PumpkinSeeds]

:lurk:

We don't have any definite plans at the moment but I think it's in our future to come back. I have some concerns mostly about the kids. It's hard to know what to expect.

[sraplayas]

:)

[clogmama]

I re-entered four months ago after being abroad for 3.5 years. Sometimes I feel like an animal on display at the zoo and other times I feel like I'm watching a bunch of animals at the zoo. I guess this goes with the experience of being a foreigner in your home land. There are also many good parts about re-entry. It's especially nice to have regular contact with other expat or former expat moms.

[mkmama]

me! we move back to the US for 6 months in June/July...but then move on to a new country for work.

[sraplayas]

So good to hear from you all. May I ask what cities (or part of the country) that you live in and how you went about adjusting? What about your kids?

[RomanGoddess]

It could happen in a couple of years. I am not looking forward to it.

[OrmEmbarSmiles]

As a mom who is considering moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to British Columbia, I would love to hear more from families who have moved away and have come back to the US. I am especially interested to hear what the impact has had on your children.

This is such a hard decision to make and I have a lot of people questioning why I would put my children through the trauma of moving away from friends and family. (right now we have both my mom and dh's parents within 2 miles of us, as well as extended family in nearby towns)

Frankly, although I'm concerned about the trauma of moving, I'm also concerned about what my kids are being exposed to here. (not that I believe that B.C. is all that different . . . just different enough)

Thanks for any insights you may share about your children's experience.

[clogmama]

There will be exposure to things you don't like in BC as well. My kids have loved coming back to the US, and it is especially helpful to have family and friends nearby. I would never trade my experience living abroad, however.

[RomanGoddess]

Frankly, although I'm concerned about the trauma of moving, I'm also concerned about what my kids are being exposed to here. (not that I believe that B.C. is all that different . . . just different enough)

Hmmm. I guess I am a little bewildered as to what your kids might be "exposed to" in BC that they would not be exposed to in San Fransisco. Where are you moving to in BC and how would it be so different?

[OrmEmbarSmiles]

Hmmm. I guess I am a little bewildered as to what your kids might be "exposed to" in BC that they would not be exposed to in San Fransisco. Where are you moving to in BC and how would it be so different?


I realize that was a little cryptic, but I wanted to keep my post short. We don't live in San Francisco. We're in the Bay Area, in Sonoma County, about an hour north of SF. The short list of things I'm tired of dealing with here and have noticed enough of a difference when visiting BC the last several years:
People move very fast and err on the side of rudeness rather than politeness.
There is so much affluence that status is based on what you have (whether it be the huge HDTV and latest SUV crowd or the all organic/fair trade and Prius hybrid crowd.
In order to get to school, see friends, go to classes, or even get to a nice place to take a walk we have to get in the car. Everything is sprawled here and the transit system is not efficient at all.
We hear fire engine/police car/ambulance sirens many many times a day and my kids cringe every time they hear them. (and we live in a relatively small town, not a big city)
There's more, but this might give an idea of what I was meaning. I realize that BC is not very different (both places have drugs, poverty, violent crime, big box stores, etc). I have just found that even a little difference has made a big impact on how my children get to play with other children. There is more openness to friendship and less bullying than I see here on the playgrounds.

We have visited the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island during different seasons over the last 6 years. Right now we are planning a trip to scout around the Cowichan area just north of Victoria.

Thanks for your curiosity.