A NRI, currently living in Germany with her husband and toddler, shared her thoughts on moving back to a Tier 2 city in India after more than ten years abroad. The Reddit post highlights the personal and emotional challenges of expat life despite being well-integrated in a foreign country.
Missing Home and Community Life
“I know I should think about this very very carefully. And I have. It just seems the right thing to do,” she wrote. Despite speaking the local language, having a few friends, and maintaining an active lifestyle, she said the loneliness of living abroad is affecting her deeply. “I can’t help missing people back home, the ease, the warmth and the sense of community. I am a people person and can talk to just anyone. And I miss that here.”
She also mentioned missing cultural experiences such as weddings, festivals, and family functions, which she considers essential to her lifestyle. “We don’t have any financial liabilities. Husband owns an apartment where parents live. I own a large plot and am now saving to build a house on it,” she added, emphasizing the tangible roots her family has in India.
Prioritizing Family Over Lifestyle
Another driving factor for the move is her toddler’s connection with grandparents. “He Loves his grandparents and it kills me that he can’t be with them enough. That is another reason I want to move back, so we can spend the remaining years of ours parents’ lives together. I feel this experience is irreplaceable in life.”
The Reddit user also acknowledged the downsides of returning, particularly the infrastructure and civic challenges in India. “And yes, there is so much that is wrong with India no matter where you go. Conditions like road safety, pollution and lack of general civic sense absolutely appalling in India,” she wrote. Nevertheless, she believes that some lifestyle opportunities, especially for children, can still be found in India if one looks carefully.
The post has sparked conversations among other Redditors weighing the trade-offs of quality of life, family bonds, and cultural connection when deciding between staying abroad and moving back home.
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