When you miss everything, even the Hadida... even after 5 years!

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One of the hardest things about immigration, and one of the things I think we overlook, or ignore or try our hardest to put out of minds is the bit where you wake up one day and for no reason whatsoever, just... miss... home.

It's not that you don't absolutely love your life here.

It's not that you are not grateful for all the opportunities this new life brings.

It's not even that you don't feel at home.

Because you do.

You are excited about all the places you can visit and all the castles to explore, but every now and again, someone sends a sound clip with the sound of highveld thunder.

Or someone says there is a new movie on Netflix that was filmed in Cape town, or the kids are excited because there is hail and you reply without thinking that they should see the hail in South Africa, and in that instant, it is like your body is transported back to the memory where you can smell the rain coming.

And you miss home.

It's even harder in the beginning, We forget how when we arrived it was an extreme mixture of sadness and missing people and not knowing where or if you will be able to buy something simple like a can of pilchards, is mixed with the complete unknown of what lies ahead.

In South Africa you know that if you need to buy a specific size spanner at 2pm on a Sunday, you can head down to Builder's Warehouse. You know Game would possibly not have it in stock.

If you feel like a crazy big breakfast with endless good coffee, Mugg 'n Bean is just there.

Have a party coming up? You know exactly what store will have the perfect dress.

Here, you literally don't even recognize the taste of mayonnaise and cant find viennas!

You try to just roll with it and end up paying way more than you should for things, because you simply don't know where else to get them other than right there where you are looking at it. 

Then come family visits! THE BEST THING EVER!!! You count down for months, save up enough so they can be spoiled to no end! You want them to experience everything in your new world in those two or 3 weeks. You NEED them to love it as much as you, because secretly you are trying to convince them to follow you, but at the very least you want them not to worry when they leave.

But the one truth about being here and having the family visit, is that almost always they have to leave again. That in it's own is almost worse than that fateful day at the airport when you said goodbye to South Africa and everything familiar. This time you know how extremely long it will feel until you see them again. And throw a pandemic into the mix and it just becomes worse.

But we put this sad feeling aside. Focus on what lies ahead. Remind ourselves of why we left to begin with. Focus on stopping at a traffic light with your window closed because it's raining, rather than for safety.

And then you see a rainbow.

And there is no smog to look through to see it.

And the person next to the car is a cyclist, who greets you.

And it dawns on you, that yes, you now fondly remember that hadida that was outside every bedroom window at an unspeakable hour.

And you take a left to get to Halfords to buy that spanner and you know, little by little and day by day, this new life simply becomes your life.

And after being greeted by the umpteenth person in the shop, you get back in your car without focusing on locking the doors to go and braai some home made wors.

And you realize that while you were missing "home", you suddenly find that you are now in fact, home.

 


 

Important links: 

 

  #MapMyMove- Our coaching Services - Confused or lost and need some direction, book a session with us to help untangle the confusion and work out your route of immigration

   Steps to take in the Immigration process

   Checklist of things to do before you leave South Africa

   Children in Ireland

   Setting up Home

   Home Affairs documents

   Bringing Non EU family to stay if you have an Irish or non EU passport 

 If you have a story to share please email us a blog at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

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