home, lifestyle, expat

In between cultures: where is home?

Being in three different countries over the last couple of days I got inspired by the question of “Where is home” for the typical expat.  Here is my point of view on this topic and I would love to learn more about your opinion. 

How to define "home" as an expat

Last Thursday I hopped on a plane to visit my parents back home in Germany. One of the bigger gifts for Mother’s day. I spend a day in Rejkavic on my way to Euopre watching wales and getting a glimpse of the life in Iceland. Next stop was Germany to surprise my family and the reaction was always the same: Everyone kept staring at me for an eternity, speechless and in a state of shock. It took a while till they realized that this is no joke and that I am actually standing right there. Although we are in constant contact via facetime etc. it is still different to be actually right here. It is great to be back for a week and indulge in this old lifestyle of mine when I was younger. There is a famous German song which also gets in my head when traveling to another country from Hannes Wader (“Heute hier, morgen dort”/ “Today here, tomorrow there”)

German Version:

“Heute hier, morgen dort

Bin kaum da, muss ich fort

Hab’ mich niemals dewegen beklagt

Hab’ es selbst so gewählt

Nie die Jahre gezählt

Nie nach Gestern und Morgen gefragt”

English Translation: 

Today here, tomorrow there, hardly I’m here when I’ve to go away,

I never complained because of that.

I’ve chosen it like that myself, never counted the years,

Never asked for yesterday and tomorrow.

The German singer Hannes Wader has written this song referring to his tour life. It speaks to me as being an Expat is sometimes similar. Especially when it comes to serial expatriation. As an Expat I try to live in the moment as much as possible. This can be quite a challenging goal. It is always hard not to compare, not to miss some parts of the other country and one common thing in my life will always be to miss loved ones as my friends and family are spread around the world. As an Expat you will always have a wandering mind and home will become difficult to define. It is not a city anymore and even not a country. Living abroad for more than a year now even a culture does not feel like home anymore as there are some new facets I have adopted from the culture I am living in right now. From all the places I have lived in, this small town in Germany might feel the most like home as most of my childhood memories are here. However, memories are always part of the past and my mind is currently more shaped by present experiences. 

"As an Expat I try to live in the moment as much as possible. This can be quite a challenging goal."

Let's connect on Social Media

Want some good vibes in your mail?

"It definitely requires the need to explore something new again and again and to challenge the status quo"

Therefore, home is not a physical place for me anymore but a place where I feel like home no matter where it is located. Living together with my husband is the only constant in life. To feel comfortable in this lifestyle maybe requires some special motivation or character trait. It definitely requires the need to explore something new again and again and to challenge the status quo. When things settle down and become easy I start to feel the urge to change something again. When my learning curve starts to decrease I want to learn something new. When my home is fully furnished and decorated I start to think about moving somewhere else to start all over. For me personally, this has nothing to do with the need to escape from something. It is more my personal experience of how moving outside your comfort zone can enrich your life and I am just too curious to stay. This might change in a different age, professional state or when kids are a part in one’s life but for now home is where I am and where I come home in the evening to discuss the adventures of the day with my husband. 

What is home for you?

What is home for you? Do you exactly know where you will be in the next couple of years? Do you live with a long-term plan or from day to day? Would love to learn more about your experience and view about this. Let me know in the comments below. 

Thanks for sharing the love and stopping by

Kate from Share the Love, expat, expat wife, expat life

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

Share this article with a friend and share the love:

You also might like:

expat assignments, global mobility, willingness to move abroad, moving abroad

What do we know about expat partner career?

What do you actually know about expat partners and career planning? Numerous extensive academic studies have dealt with the question of how the career of partners who go abroad for a certain period of time for the partner’s job is affected. In this article, I’ll give you a quick run-through of some of the hot topics that are known about this.

Read More »

Quick Steps to Re-enter the workforce

Re-entering the job market after a longer career break can be a daunting task. Many people who take time off from their careers for various reasons such as raising a family, caring for a loved one, or pursuing further education can find it difficult to re-enter the workforce. This is because the job market is constantly evolving, and the skills and experience that were once valuable may no longer be relevant. However, there are ways to succeed in re-entering the job market and I am sharing them here in this blog post and in my free guide book. 

Read More »

Support services for accompanying partners abroad

The well-being of the accompanying partner on traditional corporate assignments is not only in the interest of the partner and the family but also in the interest of the company sending the family abroad. Countless studies show that a struggling accompanying partner is causing a higher ratio of earlier returns or unsuccessful postings. In this blog post, I am covering the different aspects of company support. You will learn what kinds of support aspects you might be able to receive and motivates you to take your own adjustment abroad seriously.

Read More »

Changing values in the job market 2023

The beginning of the year is always a time for reflection and it is therefore not surprising that many people also consider whether their current job or employer still suits them. In today’s blog post, I summarize a few interesting facts from a Europe-wide HR study on changing core values of employees. This will give you a good feeling of where you stand compared to others – even when you are thinking about re-entering the job market, these facts are very helpful to get a feeling for the new value construct of the job market 2023.

Read More »

The secret ingredient that turns a profession into a vocation

In psychology, many scholars have already addressed the question of what the difference is between a profession and a vocation and why people who are lucky enough to have found their vocation are so much more fulfilled in their lives. In this blog post, I’ll give you insight into the fundamental distinction between a profession and a vocation, and let you in on the secret ingredient discovered through research that turns a profession into a vocation.

Read More »

Turning a hobby into a profession: A check in 2-years later

In this blog post, our first role model Leonie looks back on her professional path over the last two years and allows us to have a peek into her personal journey to turn a hobby into a profession. She shares her learnings as well her passion projects for 2023. As many of you loved this portrait I am so happy to be able to present a follow up to you!

Read More »

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy