Do you want to go back to homeland?

For all those who are working in Munich, and not belonging to this place. I would like to know how many would like to go back to their homeland... And a reason if possible...

I am currently happy here, and will stay while I dont have a good enough reason to go.

You forget the obvious option "Fuck that I'm off to somewhere else"

Nope. I've grown quite fond of health insurance, thank you.

I've almost given up on trying to get out of Germany. The force clearly has a reason for me being here, but I still dunno what.

I want to go back in the near future just to raise my kids. I don't want to have my children to suffer through the German education system. For my own part I am quite happy here.

may be after 25 years. But again I am homeless and a hippie so I am comfortable in any dump.

Homeland? Eh, jein. Somewhere else? cool. I like it here, but also wouldn't mind trying other places. Don't want to wander the earth forever, but just would like to live a couple different places before I get stuck somewhere.

But I will say that it will be hard to leave Germany. Outside of things being closed 90% of the time that I'm not in work, Germany has grown on me.

Like the parasitical fungus that it is..

checking out job possiblities and housing all the time online.

Bollocks NO!

Let my homeland come to me

I'm stayin'

I was bored and pissed off with the traffic/queues/aggro etc in London so its a nice change over here.

Rather enjoy my little trips back now so London has become "nice to visit - but you couldn't live there!".

I agree if I was moving on it would be New Zealand or somewhere I think.

Retirement place in Northern Norway for me (plus the swanky Munich city centre pad if I ever raise the dosh).

Don't want to go back to the US but not sure I'd stay in Munich. Somewhere else is possible. I'm happy in my social life here so it will all depend on work. Agree with SIM, don't want to raise my kids german.

you have kids?!? I think you are Rob the chef have some explaining to do...

Okay I mean WHEN i have kids

what JE said -

I think I am getting ready in my mind to go back. I've been over here 5 years and its been a postive and cool experience, but I am a little jadded with it all now and I would like to go back to a place where I can understand everything I am sent by the tax office and not ask for translations from my wife...

The question is, where in the UK would I go to. London, as mentioned above, is a little bit too crazy and really only the sort of base jumping danger sport that the young can enjoy (i am thinking of the tube here)...

Having said that I am fairly busy at the moment and I can't see me having the time to do this anytime this year, although I think I would be looking at it a little more seriously next year...

Germany is an okay place to live really and about 90% of my friends over here are German and I find them cool people to talk too... The problem is I am not really at home here, its not the place I know. What I really miss are the British coast lines... Germany is sometimes to big and to land locked for an island monkey like me...

I'm an option thats not up there. I have to leave, but i'd think about coming back if i got the chance.

I have to leave in the july-september period to go back to uni in october. I guess knowing that i only have a year here has always stopped me making and thinking of this as a real home. Plus my boyfriend being in the uk means i'm never going to be completely settled here without him.

However the friends i've made here and the social life is great and not to be sniffed at.

I would definately consider moving back here after i have my degree and when i can bring my man with me.

I like home a lot, though I can see myself living here for a while. But not indefinitely. I like the fact that back home it never gets far too cold but you can go skeeing, and never gets awefully hot but the beach is right there, and the cool mountains are less than an hour away. And the familiarity of it all, being a small country as it is.
BUT, considering the shit that keeps going down there, and the largest economic deficit for a country of that size... Wont be in my plans for at least the next few years.

Not London but still the UK? Hmmmmmm

I guess maybe Bath, Brighton, Devon.

My dream scenario is to just to travel more. So Munich is the base but I spend say 3-4 months of the year elsewhere. Tricky to negotiate with wife and kids but I am trying!

Does this utopia exist? Just kidding...I never really bothered to understand everything I ever got from the government in Canada. Legalese and tax terms...ugh. If I didn't have to pay it was all good.

'tis fate my son. you'll be skiing next ;-)

i think i'm also a lifer...

i will only leave germany when i encounter the same problem i had in aotearoa. i ran out of women to shag. have now moved onto greener pastures.

I love Munich but I won't stay here...but on the other hand..I don't think I will go back home (india) so soon..as they say..a rolling stone gathers no moss..from one place to another..

I love Munich and agree with JE about
But I'm going to try anyway, just for shits 'n' giggles.

When I lived there before I was out in the sticks and on a trainee salary, working days and studying evenings... shitty. Whilst I'm anti-London if you go there and let yourself get dragged into its mode (work, shop, drink, couch-potato seems very popular), I hope it's possible to survive there and still be able to get out and have a life on weekends.

I almost moved to San Fran, but couldn't stand the idea of having to travel several hours just to leave the state, let alone speak another language and see a different culture!

I think every place is what you make of it, but as I have family ties back home (and famiy company to run), I figure it's best to build up a base there now and make the most of it...

If not I'd be looking at travelling for a year then landing at a random airport and seeing what happens

Given the choice, I've already decided to go back. Of course, that's also with the knowledge that it won't be permanent. It'll be nice to be back for awhile, have kids there where they'll be near their gramma and grampa and then, when they're ready for school, move to my hubby's homeland. Then I'll send the kids back to my homeland when it's time to go to university and visit them lots.

@JB - you can visit me in San Fran!

cool! In fact the man I was supposed to move there for is now back in contact and wanting to meet up again... do they ever give up?

But I'm going to check out the motherland for a while, make the most of those Ryanair and Easyjet deals to see Europe, then see how it goes from there. that's one thing I love about London, it's so easy to leave!

Sounds just like home...except its not small and the government is a joke at present. Hopefully that will change sometime in the near future. (not holding my breath!) I have to leave in July as my contract is up...but I am so happy here right now. Good people to hang with, decent living space. Perhaps I should just look for a new job here! Of course then i would also need to look for a new place to live. Oh the dilemena´s.

If I did that I would never stop moving.

Journey to Canada - Nope, no one will shag me here

Journey to America - Nope, no one will shag me here

Journey to mecicccooooo - Nope...

And so on... It would be a fast round the world trip...

But if I am heading for the UK, and I am not heading for London, what about say... Cardif?

I miss a lot of things...chose Maybe...

I don't know where in the states I'd go if I moved back...so that's a problem...I'm happy here...though learning the language some day might help,

R U crazy? Back to the land of Waffle Houses and Cable TV, and a decent church while we are at it.
Would never raise my kids in this school system, and since my line of work will be 'global freelance' I will travel the globe for my entire professional life; thusly my home could be anywhere I choose. I choose Atlanta. Great place. Not too far from the trappings of Florida and not to 'southern' to curdle my yankee blood. I like jaywalking too much, want to shop on Sundays, want bottomless softdrinks, want quality bookstores with magazine selections and spiderman comics and to be able to go to the gym without averting my eyes from grown naked fat men 'relaxing' in the lounge chair area. I want friggin sharks with friggin laser beams as well. This place is too close minded for me if my sharks can't come with acoutrements.

I don't intend to stay here for good but I'm not sure I actually want to return to my homeland either. I think I'd prefer to live somewhere else altogether.

I miss stuff about Ireland like the smell of the sea, pubs with snugs, floury potatoes, my family, really good chips. That being said I've been here so long, really like it here and Ireland has changed in the so much in the meantime I don't think I'ld like to move back even if I could.

I can't imagine leaving here. It's going to be a sad, sad day.
I'd like to stay as long as possible. I miss a lot of things about NZ, especially the nature side of things - but I can go appreciate those much later. No rush to go back whatsoever.
Wish I could pack up my friends, family and pets and post them all over though... :0(

Most definately YES, I'm getting to that point soon (another year) where it's 5 years in Munich, and as most long timers know, its make or break, you either stay the rest of your life or GET OUT.

So am already speaking to my boss about leaving at the end of the year, was going to leave sooner, but have been persuaded by different people to stay a little while longer.

Initially am thinking about going back to London, although am not against the idea of trying out somewhere else for a few years. Stockholm keeps coming up for me.

@ChemicalBurn: where are you from???

@pepper: are you or anyone else leaving because of the pensions ruling -- we get the lump sum payment from the pensions contribution if we leave before 5 years is up?

@ Why8 - No, as Britain does not get this, they have too many agreements with Britain, which means the German Pension contributions will come from Germany at pension age. That should just about buy me a beer a week !

But its just a oh god I've almost been in Munich 5 years thing !

I change my mind on this daily, even keep track of my leave/stay ratio in my dayplanner.

I do find that the longer I'm here, the more the ratio favours staying. I also find myself less able to come up with good reasons to go back.

My main reason to go back at present: Job ends July 1st...If anyone knows of a fun job that pays decently I would probably stick around another year or so. But eventually I will drift home. Kind of like the tides!

I would not like to go home, but I also dont want to stay here. If I move from Oz then I plan on coming back here for a bit to earn some cash then moving somewhere completly new. I dont want to go back to the states until I have traveled everywhere. and I still have asia and africa to explore

Never, ever want to go back to the UK, I was never settled there. Wouldnt rule out moving away from Munich, I just dont want it to be the UK.

You said it pal

Sort of like 3 Lions not sure that I want to stay here but am sure that for the moment I don't want to go home.

So torn. I wasn't particularly happy where I was...but now that I am over here and married and thinking about kids...I feel the pull to go to where my support system is (friends & family). I miss that part the most.

Munich is a lovely city...nice lifestyle. But it is missing some important elements for me.

So, you guys got me thinking and yeah, I think heading back to the UK would be cool for me in about a years time. I'd like to be a little nearer my ageing mother, possibly I would like to be near to friends again and I would like to try and live somewhere I have not tried... Without trying to kidnap this thread, anyone any experiance of Cardiff? Seems to be an okay place...

I agree with Paul. I miss the sea and the mild climate. I hate these freezing winters. Mind you, it doesn't have to be the UK, although the UK has the advantage of being an island and modern. Not sure if I fance a desert island. I like the food in the UK (not the traditional stuff - but international food), the social life and houses where you park your car in front of the door and don't have to heave three heavy doors open just to get from car to flat. What do old people here do when there's three inches of ice on the ground and every door weights three tons?

Wait and you will find out...

I do miss the sea. I have to admit it. I miss the Thames as well. Cheap Marmite, proper gammon steaks and bacon.

The rest you can keep.