Years ago a cousin of mine was heading overseas as a volunteer to a war-torn country. She was super eager to go and attended organized training sessions before her departure. She told me that the trainers warned that come the 3-month mark that’s when feelings of being homesick kick in. So be prepared.
Yesterday on Facebook I was reading a thread where a friend of mine, who moved from Queensland to Melbourne a couple of years ago with her family, had days when she wanted to curl up on a corner and wished she could go ‘home’.
Revelations like those weigh on my mind about this possible 12-month move to London. I think I could overcome the homesickness. I’m not naïve enough to think it will escape me altogether. My major concern is, of course, my kids.
The possibility of moving was a decision Mr M and I came to; it’s something that we want to do. And I’m not saying that there was ‘no’ consultation with the kids but we did have to ‘convince’ them that it was a good idea and we even negotiated with them; initially I wanted to go for 2 years but the kids (for legitimate reasons) pulled it back to 1 year.
So for whoever out there has any advice, I’m all ears…or in the case of my blog, all eyes.
I’m no expert in dealing with children’s homesickness but speaking from my experience as an expat for almost a decade, the trick is to keep busy and entertained. Have something planned – an excursion or something to see – every fortnight.
The other thing is, expats tend to stick together. You’ll find other Aussie families in similar situations so before you go, look into FB pages or internet communities of expats in the UK or Europe.
Get the kids excited about it when you discover something/someone in your research.