When it is time to go home….

A wise man (thank you Aka) recently wrote to us: “As paradox it may sound, but the world of your children will actually get bigger once you settle down.”

He, of course, wasn’t so wrong. Our boys have seen, experienced and learnt over averagely much in the past years. Their world is full of colours and shades. Until a few months ago there was nothing more exciting for them to follow their parents around the globe, to go on adventures and get to know different ways of living. They had to give up a lot for it, but gained at least the same (or more) back in return.

Slowly Desmond and Lenny grow into small adults and during this process an inner voice has popped up. At the moment it is a mere whisper, but their Mama and Daddy know that the time has come.

Time to find their own truths. To make their own mistakes and their own decisions. Time to experiment, time to release the cord. Time to explore their own world – not ours – and to make it bigger.

We had three great job offers in exotic destinations. All three of them were tempting, but if we have learnt something in the past years, it is, that not everything that shines is gold.

Once more we look back at our lives and marvel how everything seems to fit and make sense. Since my youth I was fixed on the desire to live and work abroad. I was jealous of everybody who managed to do that. I was restless. That wish has been fulfilled. We got to personally experience (and also through the many other working foreigners we met in the meantime) that such an „expat“ life isn’t always easy and that adjusting to a working process in a foreign culture isn’t just fun and glory. And although I wouldn’t want to miss the gain, the challenge and lesson of such an experience (and surely would accept such an offer again in a few years), I feel that I am momentarily “healed” from it.

We will miss life abroad and surely we will want to travel again (and hopefully do so, too), but at the moment it is good the way it will be. What more satisfaction could parents have then to know that they created the ideal base and environment for their children to develop freely?

We are at home in Switzerland. We don’t expect gold there. And no shining. We know what we can expect there. And that is a lot. A very lot. Children can still be children in Switzerland and parents can use their energy to do something for the future of the world.

We will arrive back in Switzerland on 29th September.