This thread is specifically for folks living in a foreign country and those who have stayed in their home country a while before moving overseas for better prospects. How long have you been living away from your home country? What do you miss about it? How often do you visit it and how long do you stay there. If you do not have any family left in your home country, do you still visit your home country? To start off, I came to US 11 years ago. Despite living here for more than a decade, I miss India a lot specifically my home city of Mumbai. I miss its vibrant energy, the crowds, the easy and ever-available public transportation service, safety amongst a lot of other things. Having said that, I doubt if I can adjust myself to living permanently in Mumbai again. I am sure I will experience reverse culture shock if I try to live there after so many years here when I haven't visited India at all for many years now. Unfortunately, I have no family left there any more. It has been 7 years since I went back to Mumbai. I am sure it would have changed a lot now. I don't have any plans of going to Mumbai in the near future since I am the primary caregiver to my parent here. However, I have such fond memories of my first quarter of life in Mumbai that I just feel very nostalgic whenever I read or see anything related to Mumbai
I have been in the US for over 25 years now, so I’ve lived longer here than I did in India. I have very fond memories of India and we lived in several places there due to my father’s job. I loved my time living in Mumbai the most, but I was last there in 2002 so I don’t think I’d recognize anything now. My parents and sibling all live in India but I only managed to visit every 3 years or so before Covid. My parents still live in my childhood home so there’s a powerful pull of nostalgia, especially since their immediate neighbors are also still the same families we grew up with. Now it’s almost 5 years since my last trip. I do miss my family but I don’t think I want to go back to daily life there. I like the cleanliness and space we have in the US and since neither my spouse nor I work in IT we wouldn’t really be able to do our jobs outside the US. Among my cousins who no longer have immediate family at home I’ve observed that they hardly ever visit India.
I came US after marriage and have been living here more than 15 years. I like so many things here still I feel I belong to India because I was born and brought up there even though I don't like standard social norms and some other things over there. I have many sweet memories of India and obviously I miss my parents, Sis, some fruits, vegetables, flowers, favorite temples, favorite places, festivals. I definitely miss having good time with parents and Sis' family during holidays, festival days, and special days like birthdays. I used to visit India once every 2 years but I have started to visit India every year from last year as my parents became old and they don't like to come here. I usually stay for one month. I visit India as long as my parents are there but I'm not sure about future.
Lived abroad for close to 10 years.Always wanted to return to India and finally after covid.moved back to India with a teenager kid.Settled ,happy and content .My son enjoy this Indian city and he got many friends (no playdates issues here) and I have maids.So life is going smooth.
i have learnt we miss the period that we lived as kids . also those experiences when we had less internet and tv and phone access made us interact and do things outside. as an adult, i am not sure i miss much now. most of my relatives or cousins are busy with their lives . my mom mentions that no one really interacts with her. it is her friends who are more closers to than relatives.
Having lived in the U.S. for over 25 years, I agree with what Lavani said above. I miss the simplicity of childhood, college, and young adulthood times. I often daydream about revisiting those moments, reliving time with loved ones, and attending memorable events like weddings. It's not the places I miss, but the people and the shopping sprees. My last visit was about 7-8 years ago. Future trips, if any, will be to Nepal and northeastern India. Or, I might visit friends who are planning to retire in India. These friends moved back to India when their kids were under 7 yrs old, returned to U.S. for their college years, and they now intend to settle back in India.
Rihana, I have one doubt. Don’t We miss our sweet childhood moments, those college days, whatever we enjoyed in early days life even though we live in India now? I Just cherish those moments wherever we live.
My parents say the same. They say that nowadays no one invites the extended family for regular functions like pooja, engagement, baby shower etc and are only focused on their nuclear families. My parents mainly socialize with their friend groups from bhajans, social service etc.
I miss India every day every minute . Not the people but the place . I’m not attached to anybody but I’m extremely attached to the place . Every time we visit I get so emotional . My only life goal is to move back . I had this discussion with my kids . They both understand how much I miss back home . If I move back I have no intention to come back to USA . I want to die in India . I hope at least this one thing happens according to my wish .
This exactly!! The fond memories of time bygone is just so hard not to miss. I reminisce about my childhood and days of youth spent within the loving confines of my family home with my family when things were so much simpler. It be so different now that we will be disappointed at the current reality vs the current mental image of what we have about the past. Especially since we don't visit India that often. But alas! We can never get that time back nor revisit those moments except when we daydream (I am also fortunate to daydream about the happy memories more often than not). It makes me both, happy (that I did get to spend those moments that made happy memories) and sad (that those bygone time would never come back nor can it ever be replicated) The last of my childhood is going to be changed forever since my childhood home is going to be demolished soon and a skyscraper is going to replace it. For me, if and when I go back to Mumbai, my home as I remember it will no longer exist.