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Arriving Well: Stories about identity, belonging, and rediscovering home after living abroad
Arriving Well is a compilation of five raw, compelling, autobiographical stories about re-entry. Each of the authors experienced the roller-coaster ride of re-entry to their passport country in totally different and yet totally valid ways after a differing number of years abroad.
This book highlights the variety of ways in which people experience re-entry and offers resources - inlcuding mini-coaching, reflection questions, and helpful resources - to help you on your re-entry (repatriation) journey.
Arriving Well is a must-read for anyone thinking about or in the midst of returning home.
This book highlights the variety of ways in which people experience re-entry and offers resources - inlcuding mini-coaching, reflection questions, and helpful resources - to help you on your re-entry (repatriation) journey.
Arriving Well is a must-read for anyone thinking about or in the midst of returning home.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
88 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 2018
60 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 20, 2018
I found these stories to be very encouraging.
February 5, 2019
Recommended for anyone repatriating from a life overseas, especially missionaries.
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May 7, 2020Excellent! Loved reading stories from people in our shoes. Note that this is more an anthology of re-entry stories than a guide to re-entry.
April 5, 2022
"Learning to feel at home where I am, while the songs of other place echo in my head, has been like navigating an every-changing river. There is work to do. Sometimes I need to rest. And there are always new wonders to behold."
". . . I realized that expressing a deep connection to, or even a preference for, aspects of another culture besides my American one seemed, to those who didn't feel the same, pretentious, or worse, traitorous.
Hold on, though. We'd been 'amerikanerne' and 'die Amerikaner' and 'les Americains' for so many years, representatives of our homeland when outside of it. This put us on the outer edge of the native center of any culture we lived in. No matter how perfectly we rolled our 'r's' or pinched our vowels or sucked raw shrimp eggs right from the tail. No matter that we could rattle off every Charles or Louis since Charlemagne. No matter that we knew the origins of every cheese at the local fromagerie. We still hadn't been born there, weren't native.
The odd thing was, we knew how to be that kind of American in that setting. We knew how to be internationalists, those people who speak with accents and are always figuring out the mechanism of a new place. Always, to one degree or another, peripheral, displaced. But this? Homogeneity? We had no idea."
"Many of my stories started with 'when we lived in...,' and before I'd even finished eyes would begin to glaze over, attention flicked in the opposite direction. I hadn't meant to sound entitled, but I'd lived abroad most of my adult life—how could I be myself without that context? Did fitting back in mean that I'd have to compromise myself entirely? My international life had defined me for so long, I didn't know who I was without it, and the defiant part of me refused to relinquish it."
". . . I realized that expressing a deep connection to, or even a preference for, aspects of another culture besides my American one seemed, to those who didn't feel the same, pretentious, or worse, traitorous.
Hold on, though. We'd been 'amerikanerne' and 'die Amerikaner' and 'les Americains' for so many years, representatives of our homeland when outside of it. This put us on the outer edge of the native center of any culture we lived in. No matter how perfectly we rolled our 'r's' or pinched our vowels or sucked raw shrimp eggs right from the tail. No matter that we could rattle off every Charles or Louis since Charlemagne. No matter that we knew the origins of every cheese at the local fromagerie. We still hadn't been born there, weren't native.
The odd thing was, we knew how to be that kind of American in that setting. We knew how to be internationalists, those people who speak with accents and are always figuring out the mechanism of a new place. Always, to one degree or another, peripheral, displaced. But this? Homogeneity? We had no idea."
"Many of my stories started with 'when we lived in...,' and before I'd even finished eyes would begin to glaze over, attention flicked in the opposite direction. I hadn't meant to sound entitled, but I'd lived abroad most of my adult life—how could I be myself without that context? Did fitting back in mean that I'd have to compromise myself entirely? My international life had defined me for so long, I didn't know who I was without it, and the defiant part of me refused to relinquish it."
April 4, 2022
Quick, meaningful and thought-provoking read
I recommend this to anyone who is coming and going overseas and home … and then overseas and home again. It made my own upcoming repatriation feel less terrifying and identity-robbing. Instead it helped me laugh at how I get into my own head, nod and agree on many points, and brace myself for ways to bridge the gap between myself and those waiting back in my passport country. I’ve done this twice before as a child-single adult, but going through it as a family with children puts a new spin on it. I appreciate all of the authors’ input and unique experiences.
I recommend this to anyone who is coming and going overseas and home … and then overseas and home again. It made my own upcoming repatriation feel less terrifying and identity-robbing. Instead it helped me laugh at how I get into my own head, nod and agree on many points, and brace myself for ways to bridge the gap between myself and those waiting back in my passport country. I’ve done this twice before as a child-single adult, but going through it as a family with children puts a new spin on it. I appreciate all of the authors’ input and unique experiences.
May 7, 2019
My interest in this book comes from the fact I had a really hard re-entry experience many years ago. Although I'm happily settled back in my host country now I found Jerry Jones chapter amazing-ling helpful in helping me think through why it was so hard. He so competently explains his incompetence. I like how the book has 5 different people telling their story, as each family went through a different thing, I'm assuming each reader will be able to relate to some of the stories more than others.
June 27, 2021
Short and a bit limited in scope. Would have been good to have a little more info on the coaching side, possibly even a conversation between coaches and those whose story has been told. Would have also been helpful to have a bit more variety in culture regarding returning stories. Some helpful snippets and very accessible which is a bonus.
July 14, 2021
This is a grouping of five stories written by people returning to their home country to live (repatriate). Each writer leaves us with lessons they learned as they readjusted to their home country that no longer felt like home. This short book can easily be read in one or two sittings. Its gems of wisdom are apropos for this time of adjustment.
September 15, 2018
An excellent and helpful book
I enjoyed reading this good mixture of analysis and insight . Read this if you have been in this situation .
I enjoyed reading this good mixture of analysis and insight . Read this if you have been in this situation .
October 8, 2018
Well-written compilation of returning workers
Helpful stories sharing how to survive and once again thrive in one's passport country after living abroad. I liked it.
Helpful stories sharing how to survive and once again thrive in one's passport country after living abroad. I liked it.
November 7, 2018
This was a very helpful book as we re-entered US society. Lots of good examples and counselors' thoughts about the process.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2019
Advice on repatriation in 4 case studies
Many lessons to be learned from the 4 different experiences shared here, of experts trying to live in their birth countries again.
Many lessons to be learned from the 4 different experiences shared here, of experts trying to live in their birth countries again.
May 23, 2020
Very timely read and really interesting to read about the experiences of others going through similar transitions. A lot of good take-aways and plenty to think about.
April 23, 2020
What a helpful book! I say that as someone who has shifted suburbs, cities, countries and continents more than a couple times. So I get it. I feel it.
The book itself is built around the life experiences of several people. Their stories of retuning home. Their struggle to even know where, or, more accurately, what home is! A struggle to reconnect after life changing experience of something else. The struggle to stay put after the addictive experience of another culture.
Even if that’s not your experience I hope you discover something in these pages. I say this because reading it will enrich your ability to care. And perhaps for some ... enrich your ability to return from wherever God sends you.
The book itself is built around the life experiences of several people. Their stories of retuning home. Their struggle to even know where, or, more accurately, what home is! A struggle to reconnect after life changing experience of something else. The struggle to stay put after the addictive experience of another culture.
Even if that’s not your experience I hope you discover something in these pages. I say this because reading it will enrich your ability to care. And perhaps for some ... enrich your ability to return from wherever God sends you.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews