So, the Little Guy and I are off to Chicago today after a month in England. The weather has been great (except for the last three or four days - cold and rainy) and we've packed a lot in. The LG has been hanging with his second cousin, who is 4 months younger; because of the big gap between him and his siblings, his three first cousins are also a lot older than him, so it's been brilliant to have a family member to hang with. They got on so well that we extended our stay a few days and did some "boy stuff" with them - like Ripley's "Believe it or Not" at Picadilly Circus in London. (Note to self - Next time you do the London Underground with a child, dress him/her in neon green. The amount of times I thought I'd lost him....).
I have to say I'd rather stay here. Even after 25 years in the USA, I feel like I "fit" better in the UK. It's weird really because I'm watching TV not having a clue who all the "celebrities" are, I'm marveling at things in supermarkets (like the range of Branston pickles now on offer) that aren't really new, and I can barely work the pound coin deposit shenanigans that one has to go through to get a trolley (cart) at said supermarket. But still, this is home.
Like many expats, I'm not miserable in my host country. I don't go around complaining about things and comparing everything to the UK; I appreciate that there's good and not so good on both sides of the Pond. Don't worry about me. I'll be more than fine.
I just miss England already.
Me too. After more than 40 years in the US, landing at Heathrow still feels like coming home.
ReplyDeleteI'm not unhappy where I am currently planted.
It's just feeling differently comfortable with a place.
I was very grumpy coming back to France on Sunday after two weeks in England and Wales.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'll get back into the swing of la vie française again soon, but right now, I'd rather be in England.
My sister has lived in Aussie for 8 years and is very happy there but on each trip home she says she feels a sense of inner peace as she spies the fields and grey skies of Sussex on the approach to gatwick. There's no place like home :-) x
ReplyDeleteGlad that you had such a good time that it made you miss the old homeland! xx
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good trip - yes, it always brings up mixed emotions.
ReplyDelete"Inner peace" - yes, that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThere's no place like home.
ReplyDeleteI guess the home is where the heart is........
ReplyDeleteYou'll be fine when you get back (as though you've never been away!)
Maggie x
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ReplyDeleteI think part of it is an intrinsic understanding of how people tick and how things work in your home culture. No matter how long you live elsewhere, I don't think you ever completely internalize an adopted culture in the same way. There are many things I heartily dislike about the US, but - whether I agree with things or not - I at least 'get' it. I know how to behave in every situation, I know how to approach people, I have a very good idea of how they'll respond, and I understand what's expected of me in every exchange - very little second-guessing required. Here in the UK, despite my ability to (theoretically) understand what's going on, I definitely don't have the same level of innate assurance about interactions, that I'm missing some cultural shorthand or unspoken rules - I probably overthink it, but there it is. (And if it's any comfort, I use those trolleys regularly and still have days where I forget how to work them. )
ReplyDeleteVery interesting MsCaroline. Hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. Plus there are all those people and places that you've known since childhood... I generally get asked when I return to the UK if I find it weird being back, but the truth is that I fit right in straightaway, even driving on the left seems natural.
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