{"id":8978,"date":"2014-05-29T07:00:53","date_gmt":"2014-05-29T07:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=8978"},"modified":"2014-09-21T10:23:17","modified_gmt":"2014-09-21T10:23:17","slug":"expatriate-inevitabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/expatriate-inevitabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Expatriate Inevitabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1-IMG_5987\"<\/a>Pastures New? \u00a0Without the grey clouds though hopefully!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This time of year is a fraught one, frantic with the last few weeks of school and all that it entails! \u00a0Add to that a phenomenal amount of Bavarian Bank holidays, and you find yourself studying the calendar and wondering how on earth you are going to fit everything in before the end of term!<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that we are all looking forward to the summer holidays and the brilliant freedom that they bring, there’s something that doesn’t feel quite right, and will be at the forefront of many an Expat mind at this time of year. \u00a0For alongside homesickness, bureaucracy, and the testing of your language skills – there’s something you can always guarantee in this transient life, and that’s farewells. \u00a0 No-one tends to put down roots anywhere for too long as a work Expat (unless you are married to a local of course!), \u00a0and before you know it the boxes that you never did get around to unpacking are being loaded back onto a lorry once again.<\/p>\n

This year a lot of friends will leave Munich and either go home, or move on to pastures new. \u00a0 And for those of us left behind, it leaves a strange mix of emotions. \u00a0 Jealousy at the thought that they get to return to what they love – or onto new, fresh and exciting places. \u00a0Relief at the thought that it’s not our turn yet \u00a0(and that those boxes can stay in the loft for the foreseeable!), and at times an almost overwhelming sadness at the goodbyes that are to come.<\/p>\n

Friends are important when the majority of those that you love dwell in other countries. \u00a0 It doesn’t take too long to become close to those that know exactly what it is you \u00a0are going through in a country that isn’t yours. \u00a0 \u00a0Mutual wisdom, tips on the place that is temporarily home, shared gripes and experiences (both good and bad) quickly bond you together. \u00a0 \u00a0 And then before you realise where the time’s gone, these friends are packing up, and are ready to start the whole process over again. \u00a0 It’s a cycle that repeats itself for as long as you live this life too.<\/p>\n

But there is one amazing thing about all of this… \u00a0 Yes, the goodbyes are an expatriate inevitability, but there’s also something else you can count on \u00a0– a massive patchwork quilt of friends spread out across the globe. \u00a0 Now, whose first for visitors?<\/p>\n

Share me:<\/h3>