Thread: Has Your Communication With Friends/Family Back Home Changed Since Moving To LOS?

My communication has sadly dropped off. I don't contact my parents often though they visited last year (first time I had seen them in 6-7 yrs). The rest of my family I have little contact with except my little cousin who is on msn occasionally. I'm quite detached from them all now, sadly I should say, but then I was never one much for family when I was in the UK.

Some friends I have hardly spoke to in years, several years between emails but we were and I think still are close friends, they just either don't use email much or we don't call each other because of cost (I know very cheap these days too).

Probably the worst thing about living abroad for me is not seeing friends and family. Most of my friends were early 20s when I left the UK, so be quite odd to see them now at 30. Some visit Thailand, but there are quite a few I don't expect to see again until for a few more years yet.

On the other hand a friend from home moved out here a few years back, and another is due out to stay this year, and met a lot of good friends and people close enough to call family in Bangkok so it all balances out I suppose.

Originally Posted by obsidian

ant's suicide was horrible and predicatable.

When is yours, don't be shy obi.

I communicate daily with my Mom via e-mail and once a week by phone or Skype. I e-mail my sister several times a week. I hear from my daughter about once a week and my Dad about once every other week. I love them all very much and can't really imagine not keeping in touch with them. It's been 30+ years since I lived in the US.

I lived in Thailand just over 12 years and no living relative of mine came to visit me (my mother came in 98, but dies in 99). My father and I would only speak to each other on the occasion of a death in the family.

Since moving to Aus, my father and I speak every two weeks and keeps threatening to come here for a 3 month holiday next year.

Not too sure if that is because living in Thailand I always felt I needed to depend on myself only (to the extent you can) and that if the shit hit the fan there you would soon see you had nobody you could rely on (I know others don't feel this way), or if it is because I'm getting older and I realise others are too - time running out.

Originally Posted by Milkman

If and when I return to my hometown, I'll be a fish out of water. In worry about this occasionally.

I experienced this "reverse" culture shock a few years ago. It was a strange (horrid in its way) feeling being in a room fall of people who I grew up with and having nothing in common with them bar the experience of growing up together.

Originally Posted by William

Originally Posted by Milkman

If and when I return to my hometown, I'll be a fish out of water. In worry about this occasionally.

I experienced this "reverse" culture shock a few years ago. It was a strange (horrid in its way) feeling being in a room fall of people who I grew up with and having nothing in common with them bar the experience of growing up together.

Thanks for the point.

I've dealt with this on a couple of stints back home, when I stayed there for 8 months, each time.

There are two threads running now on leaving for LOS, and another how communication has changed.

In the future, when these threads move on, it'd be interesting to see a thread on "reverse culture shock."

Originally Posted by William

Originally Posted by Milkman

If and when I return to my hometown, I'll be a fish out of water. In worry about this occasionally.

I experienced this "reverse" culture shock a few years ago. It was a strange (horrid in its way) feeling being in a room fall of people who I grew up with and having nothing in common with them bar the experience of growing up together.

Yep, fish outta water. You move back and you have to fit into the mold. Ain't gonna happen.
I was content overseas. My address book would fill up every year, and then I'd get a new one and it would be back to about 20 names. People float in and out of my life. Help each other and then we move on to the next tasks and adventures and new people.