Kid,
As we close the book on our first full school year in Mumbai the Expat Reality is hitting very hard.
Being an expat has its benefits, no doubt about it. One drawback is the coming and going of people around you. In Powai we live in a bubble, and we know it. Our friends outside of work consist of the parents that have kids at ASB and people who live in our building. Although not all of them are expats, the vast majority are.
Expats are by definition ‘a person who lives outside of their native country’, a temporary resident if you will. Many of the families that we’ve met here are on shorter assignments than we are, and we knew we would see them leave before us. From our experience the length of assignment in Mumbai is typically 2 years, although arrangements exist on both sides.
We’ve made some amazing friendships with the people we’ve met here in Mumbai, and just recently it’s started to sink in that a couple of them will be going back home, or to another assignment. Several have already left and there are several more who will leave Mumbai before the next school year. For your mom and I we knew this was coming and although we can’t say that we were completely prepared it’s no surprise. For you kids, this an all to familiar feeling that you just haven’t quite gotten your hands around.
Although we are very sad to loose such great people from Mumbai, we are excited to visit our friends in the Netherlands, Australia, UK, and wherever else they land.
Love,
Mom & Dad
The Hotovec's 