When was it the "I'm not home anymore" moment for you
Posted by thefxview@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 11 comments
It took me about 14 months to realise I'm a long way from home! Curious to hear your aha moment.
elevenblade@reddit
Oddly enough I had the opposite experience. My adoptive country felt like ”home” from the get go in a way my native country never did.
I still get a feeling of wonder just about every day though, like I’m saying to myself ”Look at where I am right now!”
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
Same here too. I lived in the UK for a long time and although I was happy there for a long time, it never really felt like home. Portugal did, I had to go back to the UK a few weeks after moving to Portugal. On the way back t o Lisbon we flew over the Óbidos Lagoon which is 5 minutes from my house. I really did find myself saying "ahh, home" and meaning it, the feeling was so overwhelming I nearly cried. Years later, I still sit in my kitchen in the morning, look out of the window and grin like a lunatic
thefxview@reddit (OP)
where were you in the UK? London often never feels like home tbf
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
North Wales, Manchester, Bristol and Stroud. I was in the UK for nearly 40 years. I felt most at home in N Wales and the N West. I enjoyed the SW but never felt at home.
NansDrivel@reddit
Agreed. When I woke up in Finland for the first time as a resident and not a tourist, I thought, “FINALLY”.
thefxview@reddit (OP)
how long did it take you? I felt sorta of strange over time when I continued feeling 100% tourist
NansDrivel@reddit
It’s interesting. For the first 6 months I felt immediately at home. But then after that it started to dawn on me that I was actually living here. I’ve also lived in France and the UK, but those places didn’t feel as unique and odd as Finland!
FinestTreesInDa7Seas@reddit
Yes the first several times waking up in your new country it's a weird feeling. It's like "Oh right, I'm in another country now".
NansDrivel@reddit
Exactly!!
Mabbernathy@reddit
I felt the same way when I lived in Central London for a few months. 15 years later I still think about how fortunate I was to see all those sites everyday.
dogwoodcat@reddit
Every day when I was on the coast, I thought about going back to the interior every day. I will one day, just to visit, maybe when I finally need new alpine gear (they sell off last season's gear for 40-90% off at ski resorts, little LPT for you there)