Expat Loss

The benefits and good times that come along with being an expat are many. The travel opportunities, international exposure, financial benefits, cultural diversity, making friends from all over the world and showing our boys what fabulous opportunities there are in the world, make this a fantastic opportunity for all of us.  However, tough times are even tougher when you are away from friends and family.  We have had a tough couple of months dealing with redundancy and the uncertainty that comes with that but it doesn't compare to losing a loved one.

There are definitely lots of things that we miss out on whilst living overseas. It seems strange to think that Mike and I started dating when we we’re both living overseas - not that we called ourselves expats back then.   At that younger age we missed a lot of the fun times - weddings, new babies and birthday celebrations.  Now that we are older, (sadly) there are less babies being born and weddings in our group of friends, and more sad and difficult events. Sickness and funerals are one of the hardest things to manage while being away. Unfortunately, it is just not possible to go home for very tough time that family and friends face.

This last week has been a tough time for all my family processing the loss of a very dear family member and attending a very sad funeral. I contemplated hard about jumping on a plane and being home for the day to comfort others and to be comforted myself. But it just wasn't going to be possible with my current list of things to do before relocating to India.  So I stayed in Hong Kong and said goodbye to my Uncle Sid in my own way. Thinking of the good times when they lived at the farm next door, chasing me with his insulin needles, barbecues together, summer beach holidays, his fabulous way of always asking the inappropriate questions, and wanting to know how much money I earned !! Those memories will always bring a smile to my face.  I also went hunting for photos of memories with Sid, but of course, they’re all in storage in Sydney. Yet another issue when living overseas.

In these sad times, I hope that our loved ones at home understand that we are always thinking of them in the good and bad times.  We have chosen this expat life, it wasn't forced upon us, but it doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate or grieve with everyone - it is just from afar.

Believe me when I say, we think of you always and still shed tears and smiles across the miles.