Home visits - reconnecting can be bitter-sweet

Recently I went home. 

I’ve lived here in Sydney for almost 15 years and it is my home now, but my old home is in New Zealand where my family and early memories live.  Where I fell in love, got married and had my first baby.  Pleasant Point, Timaru, Christchurch and Wellington all say “you’re home” to me whenever I come back to them. 

It was a great holiday full of family, fun, food and rugby.  And leaving at the end was sad. 

For many expats or migrants home visits can be a bitter sweet experience. 

The desire to reconnect with a long list of people, loved family members, special old friends and business colleagues can mean a home visit becomes a whirlwind of connecting with little time for relaxing.  Often the list has to be cut back and it’s so hard when you can’t see everyone.

The sweetness of reconnecting, hearing the wedding plans, the new job stories, seeing the pregnant tummy contrasts sharply with the sadness of not being able to meet in person and hug and talk with those who are also very special.

And then comes the time to say good-bye hoping that if all goes well we will see you again –sometime soon! 

Combine that with conflicting goals for resting and relaxing in the same holiday and sometimes it doesn’t work. 

We’ve done this for a while now and have both sides of the family to visit so we are much more realistic about our expectations.  This time we got close and had great times but couldn’t quite get to my two sisters who live in one of my favourite parts of the South Island.  Next time Motueka!

What is your experience of home visits?  And how do you make them part of your flourishing expat life?