Hi! Thinking about returning to the Expat life

Welcome Headdah

I wish you a lot of success in your projects!

You should read the expatriate blogs in Japan

Take care,

Julien

headdah wrote:

Greetings everyone!

Long story short. I have lived in London, England & Dublin, Ireland. Came back to my home here in the New England part of America. Got pregnant & became a single mother to a really great girl, who is now 8.

Personally, I have been very cranky about living in one place for 5 years and, at first couldn't figure out why. I was blaming the town & then myself. Then when a friend mentioned that her family might be moving back to Japan, it hit me. I am quite miserable just staying put in one country.

Now I am exploring different options for me & my little girl. And I am quite happy to have found this site. I would be very interested in hearing from other single parents who have moved overseas with or without assistance from companies, friends, or family.

Many thanks in advance.

Hi Headdah, wow, I'm from the Northeast as well. I originally grew up in Connecticut and then tried to escape the cold weather by running to Miami. Now, after ten years (I think I stayed in one place more than you stayed in many ) I'm bored with it here, and so now we're moving to Argentina this coming May.

I think it's would be really exciting if you could begin to move around again...just think your little girl will learn new languages! This is what we want for our children (when we get them!!!)

I look forward to reading about what your final decision is!

Good luck

Hello Heddah, When I first moved abroad I was a single parent, but I did have regular contracts as a freelance and was expecting a permanent civil service contract (which I subsequently secured). I can relate to a sense of frustration at being tied down to one place and your daughter is old enough to allow you to travel with relative ease.  I had no friends when I arrived here and my family were back home, so I found adjusting to parenthood extremely difficult.  Thankfully I was earning enough to afford a nanny, so my one piece of advice would be to stay put until you have proper means of subsistence in place, relatively stable employment to give her a routine (which will ease the transition/settling down in a new environment). Otherwise best of luck!

I like to do things straight to the point Well I lived more than 20 years in the United States, when I finally decided to open my horizons and start traveling abroad, because as my business is run on the internet I did not have a real need to stay at home, so here you have me living in Dubai for almost 2 years so far now

While kids generally adapt to a change of environment (and language) much faster and easier than adults, the need to move (perhaps against their will), the loss of all friends and need to make new ones do leave a mark in their personality.
But the bigger issue are the adults, many of whom do not adjust well and some get trapped in a negative, judgemental attitude towards the host country. No kid can be happy with such parents!
In any case, if you only have an urge to leave (push factor), but no sense of destination (pull factor), a move will not improve things and the problems (which are likely within you) will follow.

Hello Heddah, Just a brief comment.  Moving with small children - that is, kids whose "world" is mostly their family - is one thing.  Moving with slightly older kids is a whole different story.  I just moved with my adolescent daughter.  Not easy.  Her world was more her friends than me at this stage - which I think is normal.  It's definitely difficult for her.  Of course, each kid is different, each situation is different, undoubtedly one learns a lot from moving... Just something to keep in mind as your daughter is close to adolescence.  Another thing, I've seen some families (teachers working in overseas schools) who have a home base where their relatives are, where they visit fairly regularly...  That seems to work well.  Best of luck!!