Table of Contents

1. Life Update

2. Tools and Tips

3. Readers’ Favorite

4. Stuff

Life Update

A few weeks ago, I had to throw away what remained of my whiskey collection 🥃.

It was really difficult to do 😢.

Aside from the financial aspect 💰, I loved having a collection of 15 bottles.

I had American and Japanese, Irish and Scottish. I even had a Swedish one.

But because of my time in the US, these whiskeys became old.

They started to taste bad.

So I decided to start fresh with a new collection.

Right now, I have only one Whiskey. It’s a smoky one (with heavily peated Port Charlotte). And I love it.

New beginnings.

Speaking of new beginnings, it's been 3 months since I returned home.

A perfect time to reflect on our decision to come back. 

Have we made the right choice?

Number 125!

Tools and Tips

"Why did you come back?"

"Do you miss Boston?"

"Are you here to stay?"

These are questions I hear all the time.

And because I work at a large hospital, I keep running into colleagues I haven't seen since my return.

Almost every conversation includes these three questions.

After spending 3 months back home, I'd like to share my perspective on these questions.

I call it: "The new, the old, and the new-old".

🔵 The New

When you move abroad, everything is new.

The language, the culture, your home, your workplace.

Everything.

In the first few months, this "new" is exciting.

Sure, the first few months abroad are challenging. But things gradually fall into place.

You’re less worried, and you discover joy in daily experiences.

Your life settles into a comfortable rhythm.

After about 6 months, thoughts of staying in the US begin to surface.

After a year or two, these thoughts grow stronger.

Then come the job offers: "$250,000 a year," "$280,000 a year," and so on.

When you're enjoying the "new," these offers sound tempting.

That's when you start thinking about the "old."

🔵 The Old

Your old home. Your old friends. Your old favorite restaurants. Your old workplace.

Your family.

Some people miss these "old" things. Some don't.

After a year abroad, some begin to view these "old" things in a negative way.

You compare the "old" to the "new."

The "new" starts to look better.

But here's the catch.

Something those who stay abroad don't realize.

When you come back home, it's not "old" anymore.

It's the "new-old."

🔵 The New-Old

When you return, you notice that little has changed.

People you knew remain the same.

Places you knew are unchanged.

Things have stayed constant.

I know. Many of you think differently. But this is my perspective after returning.

It doesn’t feel like I came back to “the old”.

I feel like I came back to a "new-old."

What is this “new” inside the “old”, you ask?

YOU are the new inside the old.

YOU bring fresh knowledge.

YOU bring a new perspective.

YOU see things through different eyes.

When I compare my life today to three years ago, it's not the same.

It's like my old life, but with a twist.

This "twist" is my new perspective after experiencing a different culture.

This "twist" is performing a novel surgery I learned abroad, but this time, at my home hospital.

This "twist" is watching how our time away enhanced our children's social skills.

This "twist" is maintaining connections with my colleagues overseas while creating an impact at home.

It's not just the "new" I experienced in the US.

It's not the same "old" life I had before leaving.

It's the "new-old" that only coming back can create.

And it's awesome.

Readers’ Favorite

Facing your fear of speaking in public is totally worth it, and here are 3 simple reasons why.

Stuff

💡Gear I use - Folding ladder 🪜

I bought this ladder 17 years ago, and it's still serving me perfectly.

It's compact, fits in my car, and extends high enough to reach really high spots.

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

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See you next week!

Shay