Sometimes, You Have to Go Back
On Repatriation and Regrouping
When we talk about moving abroad, the conversation is usually laced with excitement, escape, and endless possibility. What we don’t talk about enough is what it means to come back—and how returning doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Sometimes, going back is the most radical, necessary act of self-preservation and care.
After years of living overseas, I never imagined that I’d find myself back in the U.S. so suddenly. Life has a way of shifting your plans when you least expect it. For me, it was a combination of divorce and a hospitalized parent—two emotional earthquakes that brought me home. What I hadn’t planned for was the legal technicality that forced me to stay: to file for divorce, I had to re-establish U.S. residency for six months.
My return wasn’t just emotional; it was logistical, bureaucratic, and deeply personal.
I share this not because it’s unique, but because it’s more common than many of us think. The truth is, repatriation isn’t always a grand decision—it can be a pause, a pivot, or a necessity. And you’re not alone if you’ve found yourself back in a place you worked so hard to leave.
Even icons of our culture have known this kind of return. James Baldwin left America for France to escape racism and homophobia, but eventually came back to engage in the Civil Rights Movement. Maya Angelou found refuge and purpose in Ghana, only to return and take part in shaping the American narrative through her writing and activism. Josephine Baker, a French citizen and celebrated entertainer, also found her way back to the U.S. at various points in her life to lend her voice to civil rights struggles.
They all left. They all returned. And for many of them, they left again. Repatriation wasn’t the end—it was part of the journey.
A few months ago, I saw a video on TikTok of a young woman—a single mom—who had saved up to move herself and her baby to Mexico. She gave herself a financial boundary: if her savings ever dipped to $10,000, she’d return to the U.S. Eventually, that’s what happened. She didn’t wait until she had nothing left. She made a courageous choice to try something new, and an equally courageous one to come back before she was depleted. That’s not failure. That’s wisdom, planning, and self-respect.
It reminded me of something important, especially for those wondering if they have “enough” money to move abroad: you don’t need to be rich to start fresh somewhere else, but you do need to be honest with yourself. Set a boundary. Know your non-negotiables. Understand your limits, emotionally and financially.
It takes bravery to go—and it takes just as much to know when to come home.
Coming back didn’t close the chapter on my global life. It allowed me to regroup, handle what needed tending to, and eventually step back into the world with more clarity and resolve. I left again—but this time, it was on my terms.
So if you’re back in your home country, whether by choice or circumstance, know this: you are not behind. You are not broken. You are not “done.” You’re simply in a different part of the journey. And if the world calls you again—and you’re able—you can always go.
Until then, take your time. Repatriation is not retreat. It’s restoration.
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