She said it all

"When we travel, we are craving a break from routine, so we seek out the different and exotic at every turn because we know that in a week or two, we will be back in our safe little worlds. But when we move away, the home we've left behind can tug at us in surprising ways. We go abroad with our sights set ambitiously on change, but find we crave something recognizable and tangible, things we may never have known we needed: flavors and foods, love and companionship, routine and purpose, being understood for who we really are...Instead of fantasizing about the new and exotic, we might find ourselves daydreaming about the familiar."

"Ultimately, real immersion--and the real challenge--occurs during this shift. Balancing the need for the familiar with our desire for the exotic is at the heart of the expat experience."

-Christina Henry de Tessan, Expat