Before I returned to the UK I had concerns, that I would find it too hard to return to Spain. After all my two daughters and other family still live in the UK and I also now had the additional pull of a
new grandson
As I child I went to boarding school, and therefore, am fully aware of the emotional issues there are with leaving loved ones behind, especially when you are feeling lonely, and yes there are times, when living so far away from family and friends can make you feel very lonely.
When you first move all the AMAZING changes to your life can keeps you going, then as you settle into day to day life, the loss of having those close to you can kick in and kick hard.
When you have days where the language barrier is a battle, when you miss the familiar and comfort of what you knew before homesickness can be overwhelming.
There are some days , when you move abroad, you feel so overwhelmed and have to remind your self that you live in this amazing place, for example when I see Eagles over head being dive bombed by smaller birds, or the amazing architecture in the local town I have to take a breath in and remember how lucky I am, then again within the blink of an eye you can feel homesick, not being able to share the sight of the Eagle with your missing family, you can be at a loss as to where to begin, days when you retreat inside the house and inside yourself..
Hence my reservations about returning to the UK, my fear was that my old life would pull hard, that I would create a utopia in my head that never actually existed, but, in the end this was not the case. I had an amazing time, meeting my new grandson, seeing my daughters, parents and other family, visiting friends at my old work place, but at the end of the day, home was here in Spain with my husband.
Now I am back in Spain, I still miss family and that loss will always be there, but generally I am at peace with it now, this does not mean I do not miss the girls and my adorable little man. BUT it means that I appreciate the times I have with them even more, and I know that times of feeling homesick are simply a part of adjusting to living and breathing a new culture. There is no doubt the weather helps, with a reasonably mild winter and lots of sunshine, the weather can make a difference to my moods, and although the winters can be cold, and yes it does rain in Spain, and not mainly on the plain, overall the weather is infinitely better than in the UK . I do not know what the future holds for us, but at the moment our life is here in Spain, enjoying all that we have on offer here. It took going back to the UK to make me realise what I had here.
new grandson As I child I went to boarding school, and therefore, am fully aware of the emotional issues there are with leaving loved ones behind, especially when you are feeling lonely, and yes there are times, when living so far away from family and friends can make you feel very lonely.
When you first move all the AMAZING changes to your life can keeps you going, then as you settle into day to day life, the loss of having those close to you can kick in and kick hard.
When you have days where the language barrier is a battle, when you miss the familiar and comfort of what you knew before homesickness can be overwhelming.
There are some days , when you move abroad, you feel so overwhelmed and have to remind your self that you live in this amazing place, for example when I see Eagles over head being dive bombed by smaller birds, or the amazing architecture in the local town I have to take a breath in and remember how lucky I am, then again within the blink of an eye you can feel homesick, not being able to share the sight of the Eagle with your missing family, you can be at a loss as to where to begin, days when you retreat inside the house and inside yourself..
Hence my reservations about returning to the UK, my fear was that my old life would pull hard, that I would create a utopia in my head that never actually existed, but, in the end this was not the case. I had an amazing time, meeting my new grandson, seeing my daughters, parents and other family, visiting friends at my old work place, but at the end of the day, home was here in Spain with my husband.
Now I am back in Spain, I still miss family and that loss will always be there, but generally I am at peace with it now, this does not mean I do not miss the girls and my adorable little man. BUT it means that I appreciate the times I have with them even more, and I know that times of feeling homesick are simply a part of adjusting to living and breathing a new culture. There is no doubt the weather helps, with a reasonably mild winter and lots of sunshine, the weather can make a difference to my moods, and although the winters can be cold, and yes it does rain in Spain, and not mainly on the plain, overall the weather is infinitely better than in the UK . I do not know what the future holds for us, but at the moment our life is here in Spain, enjoying all that we have on offer here. It took going back to the UK to make me realise what I had here.
MY Tips for adjusting are
- Keep active. Physical activity often lifts our mood. Just a walk can do it for me. although at the moment 3 hours grass cutting a day puts me in a bad mood!
- Keep in touch with friends and family. - Facebook, Skype, telephone or good old fashion post, Skype is brilliant and its free!!!
- Make more of an effort socially and don't be afraid to use the language, without doubt, our integration here has been enhanced because 98% of our social life is with Spanish friends who are great, they help me with the language and also laugh with me about my mistakes with the language!
- Establish some kind of routine so that life takes on a sense of normalcy., its easy when you first retire ( presuming your not working) to just drift. now this does not mean a regimented routine, but make sure you get something done each day, when you do it is irrelevant, remember your in charge of your opening hours now!
- Write down or remind yourself of why you made the decision move abroad in the first place
- Give yourself a break –living abroad is a big step and needs some time to adjust to..
Also remember...........the grass is often greener on the other side....until you get there, and it is perfectly normal to to miss the old times
As for going back to the UK I return again in a few weeks and this time bring back an additional member of the troop, my niece is returning with me for about 5 weeks. she is 12, and can lift my spirits wherever I live.
Tim Roth said
As for going back to the UK I return again in a few weeks and this time bring back an additional member of the troop, my niece is returning with me for about 5 weeks. she is 12, and can lift my spirits wherever I live.
Tim Roth said
I Miss my family and I like being a tourist when I go back
I think this sums it up nicely
xxx
Thank you, this helps a lot! My husband, son and I are moving to Spain in September. His family either already live there or are moving at the same time as us. Mine, on the other hand, are staying in the UK so I'll no doubt feel slightly homesick :-(
ReplyDeleteHannah @ movingtomurcia.com
Hi Hannah, thanks for your comments. Its hard to leave family, but it does get easier, if you ever need to chat just message me x
ReplyDelete