I Over-Romanticized What it Would be Like Coming Back to the U.S.
3 things I thought I missed, and why I was wrong.
I way over-romanticized what it would be like coming back to the U.S.
For context, I’m an American who has lived in the Netherlands for the past several years with my husband and dog. To add further context, we’re all three American, so the Netherlands wasn’t a move of obligation to a spouse/family or anything — just a place we tried and fell in love with.
Anyway — no matter how happy you are abroad, eventually you’ll sense a tiny little goblin voice that pops into the back of your head.
The goblin that’s watching your parents age, your nieces and nephews grow up, your friends move into new stages of life — all from a distance.
That little voice says, “Are you really happy here?”
It tries to remind you of all of the things you’re missing.
The life you once had.
So you start to question things. “Am I actually happy here? Should I go back?”
Despite the questioning, I couldn’t have imagined moving back to the U.S. — at least not for a while. I knew that voice wasn’t to be trusted.
