{"id":47477,"date":"2022-01-28T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T21:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=47477"},"modified":"2022-11-07T15:36:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T05:06:49","slug":"returning-home-pandemic-insights-from-a-global-traveller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/returning-home-pandemic-insights-from-a-global-traveller\/","title":{"rendered":"Returning Home – Pandemic Insights from a Global Traveller"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The longer I live away from home, the harder it gets. It\u2019s an interesting paradox – the wrestling of two homes, my identity is continually divided. I have a lingering sensation of, \u2018not quite here, but not quite there<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the passing years I’m clasping onto my roots whilst simultaneously surrendering, attempting to fit within my adopted home – yet I still have it easier than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My two homes are Adelaide (Australia) and New York City (USA). There\u2019s no language barrier, and although the two cities are worlds apart, life feels surprisingly the same. I work, see friends, enjoy the city, go on road trips, and chase my big goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Picture<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Adelaide is a small and easy city. Image: Sonia Tyndale<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve pondered this interesting notion on many a sleepless night. If life follows the same trajectory, why do I choose to live abroad? What happens when we disrupt the pattern? Many people live abroad but most return home armed with their accumulated knowledge and experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what about the few who stay? Those who live hyphenated lives, with heart at home, yet their body and mind are elsewhere. It\u2019s the expats, those who are citizens of the world, who have, and are, suffering the greatest emotional toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My remedy to this ongoing straddle between two homes has always been to return to Australia each year. Devoting two months to reconnecting in person with my family and friends. To walk down the same streets that shaped me, and anchor myself back into those memories. The past two years, however, have seen me grounded in New York and with firm border closures, exorbitant flight prices, and uncertainty about entry rules, my yearly \u2018grounding\u2019 ritual hasn’t been possible. By the time I make it home again, it\u2019ll most likely be three years since my previous visit, and consequently, my feelings of dislocation are exacerbated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Returning to Adelaide for two months every year has been a ‘grounding’ ritual. Image: Xan Holyoak<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home soil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being able to visit home every year kept me energised. There\u2019s something to be said about returning to New York after touching base with family and close friends. A safe, familiar place and faces, a foundation on which to regroup, and to re-establish my focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That feeling I get when I see New York all over again with fresh eyes is a reminder of why I fell for this city. It helps me push forward in pursuit of my dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of birth and death in this lifestyle. But this contrast is the reason why it\u2019s so powerful. When every ‘hello’ inevitably leads to a ‘goodbye’ and time has an expiration date, true relationships grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a silent agreement that \u2018we only have so much time together, so let\u2019s make the most of it.\u2019 Those moments are authentic and honest. They often cultivate something more nourishing and supportive which tends to get otherwise get neglected when loved ones are just a short drive away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, some relationships need physical presence to survive and often these connections will naturally fall away. But with a special few, the bond isn\u2019t severed by borders, babies, and time zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cityscape of New York has become my second home.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loving from afar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know that human connection is crucial to wellbeing, and surrounding ourselves with those we love or the inability to do so, has a profound impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While living bi-culturally has gifted me more than I could have ever imagined, not being able to return home is particularly challenging on mental and emotional health. I often occupy feelings of guilt for missing out on the big moments \u2013 the engagements, weddings, housewarmings, baby showers, and first birthdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what\u2019s come as more of a surprise is just how important the small moments are \u2013 the weekly coffee<\/a> catchups, the house visits, the regular walks<\/a>, and spontaneous phone calls (without worrying about the other person being asleep).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wrestling of two worlds is hard at the best of times. But since the pandemic, it\u2019s been impossible to process all the feelings<\/a>, fears, missed moments, and grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s this short-sighted perception that if I\u2019m not in Australia, it\u2019s because I\u2019ve chosen<\/em> to be in the U.S. That my life here is by default \u2018better\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s different yet at the same time, similar. I live in a state of push-pull. I go from craving Australia to knowing I\u2019m exactly where I want to be, at this chapter in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s never black and white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always been a citizen of the world and I\u2019m lucky enough to hold two places in my heart.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the hyphen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My Grandparents immigrated to Australia from the United Kingdom, so it seems that a life filled with departures<\/em> is in my blood. Maybe my quest is an extension of my lineage, rather than a whole new thread? Maybe the Australian-American equation is nothing more than fiction? That in truth, I\u2019ve always been a citizen of the world and I\u2019m lucky enough to hold two places in my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe the yearning for belonging in both homes is only solved by surrendering the hyphen and celebrating the borderless? One isn\u2019t better than the other, and one doesn\u2019t cancel the other out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the pandemic hasn\u2019t been kind to the travel journalist<\/a>, it\u2019s fertile ground for the culture writer<\/a>. As a cultural commentator covering travel, society, immigrant life, politics, and collective psychology, being an Australian grounded in the U.S. has enriched my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m able to observe what\u2019s occurring in both places from an outsider\u2019s perspective. From complacency to overtly political, it\u2019s been fascinating to witness and wrestle with the state of society, through the lens of the culture writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This interrogation is a key component imprinted into my future travel writing work. It\u2019ll undoubtedly continue to shape not only the way I write but how I process \u2018home.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The concept of ‘Home’ and how I process its meaning will continue to change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Home’ invites lessons with each visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a three-year stretch between visits, I\u2019m expecting this expedition home to be the most transformative. Every time I return home to a city that\u2019s changed, people who\u2019ve grown in their own journeys, and my perception shaped through unique experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge is accepting everything as it is, without judgement or attachment. If anyone can do this with graceful fluidity, it\u2019s the traveller with many homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might discover this, too. A road trip might turn into a three, four, five-year round-the-country odyssey. You\u2019ll always have a \u2018home\u2019, family, and friends to come back to\u2026 but find an amazing, enriching new \u2018life\u2019 on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe, the notion of \u2018home\u2019 evolves altogether.<\/p>\n