The Struggles of Repatriation: Adjusting to Life After Living Abroad
The Struggles of Repatriation: Adjusting to Life After Living Abroad
Living abroad can be an incredible experience. You get to immerse yourself in a new culture, learn a new language, and see the world in a whole new way. However, repatriation – the act of returning to one’s home country after living abroad for an extended period – often presents significant challenges. In this article, we’ll explore the struggles of repatriation and how to adjust to life after living abroad.
The Culture Shock of Returning Home
Moving to a new country can be an exciting adventure, but the experience of coming home can be jarring. Reverse culture shock can be a challenging experience for those returning home, as they try to readjust to their old way of life. Even those who have been away for only a few years can often feel like they don’t quite fit anymore. It’s common to feel homesick for the country where you just lived.
Reconnecting with Friends and Family
While it’s great to be home and reunited with loved ones, the reality is that time apart can change relationships. People may have moved on with their lives while you were away, and it can be hard to reconnect. In some cases, it may feel like you don’t have much in common anymore. This can be especially challenging if you left home quite young, because your friends will have continued growing up and developing their own interests and networks.
Adjusting to the Cost of Living
Many expats often struggle with adjusting to the cost of living upon returning home. When you’re overseas, your salary may be higher than it would be back home, and it can be a shock to the system to come back to a place where everything is more expensive. This can also be true of healthcare costs, taxes, and other expenses that may not have been an issue while living in a foreign country.
Career Challenges
One of the biggest challenges of repatriation can be finding a job that suits your interests and qualifications. Returning to your home country after living abroad can mean stepping back into a very competitive job market. You may need to update your skills or retrain in order to find work. Additionally, some employers may view time spent overseas as a negative, seeing expats as having missed out on important job experience or as being more suited to positions in international companies.
How to Adjust to Life After Living Abroad
Coming home after living abroad is more than just getting on a plane and heading back to your familiar surroundings. It’s a process of rediscovery and growth, and it’s important to acknowledge that it takes time to adjust. Here are some tips for how to cope with and overcome the challenges of repatriation:
– Give yourself time: It’s normal to experience feelings of culture shock, homesickness, and a sense of disconnection when returning home. Allow yourself time to readjust to your old routine.
– Stay connected with friends and family: Reach out to old friends and family members, and try to cultivate these relationships so that you can integrate back into your old life.
– Remember the good parts of your experience: Think about the lessons you learned while you were abroad and try to incorporate them into your life back home.
– Pursue new interests: Seek out new opportunities and interests that can enrich your life at home. This can help you to build new connections and find new meaning in your experiences.
– Consider talking to a repatriation coach: Repatriation coaches specialize in helping people make the transition back to their home countries. They can offer valuable advice and support to help make the adjustment easier.
In conclusion, repatriation can be a challenging experience for those returning home after living abroad for an extended period. Reverse culture shock, reconnecting with friends and family, adjusting to the cost of living, and career challenges are common struggles experienced by expats upon returning home. However, giving yourself time, staying connected with loved ones, remembering the good parts of your experience, pursuing new interests and considering speaking with a repatriation coach can all be useful in adjusting to life after living abroad.
the culture shock is the period of adjustment when someone moves back to his country
#Struggles #Repatriation #Adjusting #Life #Living
