Expats Who Went Back Home: What Was It Like?

Ferf

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It's for the BA Cast radio show/podcast. We want to hear stories, anecdotes, perspectives, insight of foreigners who returned to their home countries after living in Buenos Aires/Argentina.

Good, bad, difficult, relief, meh?

Thanks!

We'll read answers on the program.
 
It's for the BA Cast radio show/podcast. We want to hear stories, anecdotes, perspectives, insight of foreigners who returned to their home countries after living in Buenos Aires/Argentina.

Good, bad, difficult, relief, meh?

Thanks!

We'll read answers on the program.

I come and go. If I couldn't return, I would really miss it.
 
Visiting home entails putting on the expat 15 (lbs). After being away for over a year, I went a little crazy during my month back and said yes to everything that I'd ever eaten at any point and could not find in Buenos Aires. There's definitely a greater variety of crunchy snacks and chocolate in the US, imported cheeses, tea, and local beers/coffee/liquor. Meals in the US are much heavier than I recall, and I actually felt bad after meals quite often, although it was fun being bad. I remember being amazed by how clean Chicago was and how wide the streets were. I started keeping an eye out for new inventions everywhere - new vodkas, improved Solo coffee cup lids, Starbucks stir sticks/blockers for the drinking spout that I'd never noticed, new Dunkin' Donut products, different turnstile technologies for entering buildings, etc. It's the only time I'd felt like a tourist in my own city (and country for that matter), and it was wonderful to have my eyes opened. Seeing friends and family was the most important part of the trip, but it's the hardest to write about. Missing out on life-altering moments like graduations, births and deaths makes the distance real. I've made a choice to live here, and that means not being there for people. You're no longer a real part of someone's life when you can't give them a hug. Reconnecting if only for a moment was wonderful, and leaving is very difficult, even if it's the right thing to do.
 
As my name clearly says, I am also from Prague although originally from Buenos Aires.
When I leave Prague to go back to BA, I'm happy to leave due to many life-luster lacking people here, very strict rules about being outside in cafes or restaurants after 2200( A LAW HEAVILY ENFORCED!) and the cold shoulder of the many inhabitants of the city. I long for warmer days, vibrant people and superb wine.After my 6 months in BA, I long for personal security, stable prices and justice!
My conclusion is as the old addage goes"the grass is always greener on the other side"
As difficult as it often is, try to see the half-full glass...although this is SO VERY OFTEN easier said than done!
I am .however, grateful to be in this situation which not only allows me to choose but to also compare.
 
Returned to Australia and a few things stood out.

Going to the supermarket was an amazing and exciting experience. So many things I didn't realise I missed so much

Realised how beautiful and green our home city is (Perth)

Felt silly hearing everybody complaining all the time about our newly elected liberal government, considering the political issues Argentinians face daily.

Missed my favourite Parrilla (Rodi)

Mmmmm fresh milk

Breakfast!!!!!

International cuisine!!!!

Holy crap beer is so expensive!

Holy crap wine is so expensive

The beach... So nice

Maccas breakfast

Owning a car... So good to be able to drive away during weekends

Owning a car... So expensive, built environment doesn't accommodate walking or cycling so you have to drive everywhere.

So nice to be able to handle general daily activities in English

Being able to buy stuff online

I miss dulce de leche helado a lot
 
I went back home for six months once. I lived with my parents and worked as a temporary receptionist before heading abroad again. Everything was so clean, so green, the people were so friendly and open and smiling all the time. At least that's what struck me right off the bat. I went to a birthday party with a friend and was shocked that I actually talked and laughed with people I didn't know the entire night. Here? It's a cheek kiss and then ice ice, baby, you may as well not exist if you find yourself at a gathering of 20-somethings who all know each other. I was surprised while working as a temp in various offices (real estate, architecture, petroleum and more) at how relaxed everyone seemed. Interesting to go back to a place where sometimes, people actually enjoy their jobs. Imagine that. Having central air and heat and water that always works and fluffy towels and fast internet made me feel like I was living the luxurious life. I was blown away at all the new technology everywhere--particularly using an iPad to run a card and select a tip amount. People generally drove very well, which made the odd speed demon really stick out. I, even though I'd never driven in BA, drove a bit faster and more recklessly at first, but calmed down eventually. I loved being around people from all over the world again, hearing a million different languages and seeing different clothing. The diversity in Buenos Aires does not hold a candle to where I'm from. The food, oh God, I went nuts at first but then got in the best shape of my life thanks to a cheap gym membership (around 70 bucks a month for a really nice gym!) and being able to cook with whole grains and other cheap, healthy ingredients that are available absolutely everywhere. Oh, and the prices. Everything seemed so cheap, absolutely everything. As for socializing, my parents' generation is pretty rigid when it comes to scheduling things, which was hard to readjust to, but my friends and I have always been last-minute planners.

I missed going out late at night, people on the streets at all hours, the architecture, the history, the public transportation, and that certain je ne sais quois that BA possesses. Buenos Aires will always have a place in my heart, and I do miss it in some ways when I leave. But my husband and I will be on the first plane back to Houston the second his spouse visa gets approved. In the past week alone we've been dealing with Medicus overcharging me, a leaking fridge that freezes everything randomly, a broken heater, no internet (edit: Telecentro) going on a week now (thank God for smartphones and wireless hot spots), and today the encargada told me to conserve water because the pipes can't pull in more water from the Río de la Plata, so all we have is what's in the tanks. It's exhausting to live this way, dealing with problem after problem, fixing one only to have another pop up, and that is something I will not miss in the slightest.
 
Every time before I travel to the US, I say "If life in the US didn't entail so much debt (30-year mortgages, student loans, health care debt...) I would settle there indefinitely." I so enjoy the multi-cultural diversity, the great food, being with people I truly love and some of the most picturesque locations on the planet.

Yet after a couple of weeks there, I inevitably feel like such an alien that I relish returning to Argentina. I can't get used to having to drive everywhere. I can't stop kissing people. I can't get used to being incessantly bombarded by ads for everything.

At the end of the day, for me it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
 
Coming home was first about getting the chaos out of my head and then gradually readjusting to and picking up a stable life again. Life may be more boring over here, but there is also less to worry about and worrying is not my favourite pastime.
 
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