I'm seriously looking at staying overseas. How odd it is to leave home and suddenly see your own country. It seems so overpriced and consumery now.

I went abroad for a couple of months for work to work in a poorer country then my own (I live in the UK and this is somewhere in Europe but way less developed than the UK) and I found I needed very little to get by, especially with my work covering accommodation and food.<br><br>When I travelled in Europe before I noticed how well countries were set up for tourism. Here, they're not. You just use the country and its public transport as locals do.<br><br>I was forced to do a few things I wouldn't normally do back home like using public buses and trains and local minivans and walking a lot, etc. It was so refreshing. I travelled quite widely across the country without hiring a car. The public transport was perfect for this and I found it really enjoyable due to the scenery. <br><br>A rather long train journey was very cheap (less than $20) and it was fine. There were no issues. I was able to get really cheap local food by eating at roadside restaurants. I got really sick once and a woman who ran a shop in a village dropped me back to my apartment and helped me through this at the expense of her own business when I was sick for a week. I had other Russian hospitality that reminded me of work in Africa. <br><br>Things bound people together here. They were kind and giving. <br><br>When I go home I feel anxious. I don't want to get back into the car. I don't want to be stuck with that expense or the pressure to pay for everything when the resources are less accessible. I don't want to return to an expensive place that seems so individualistic and transactional. The thought of going back to the UK and buying all new things to use for work etc when I have nothing here sends me off the deep end. I hate the thought of buying a car again and insurance etc and driving everywhere. I want to walk to a train station to get to work or walk there. My local airport runs a coach to the city every 15 minutes. The coach is $3 and is a comfortable coach. I find myself wondering if I bring a car over here how I'd fit in. The answer is I wouldn't. <br><br>I've been living in a 21 square meter apartment for two months. It's been fine. I've been doing a lot of work with a very simple setup. Being away from home I've been able to think about it. I don't want a big place back home. I've thought about all my belongings and I'd be more than happy to never see them again. They would not be missed. What I have been happy to see are people I've missed. I can't wait to see them but I'm not looking forward to getting all my stuff back. <br><br>This is the first time I've been away for so long and seeing my home clearly, as if I was visiting it for the first time. It's a consumerist place. It's a place of individualism. The public transport isn't great. There are cars everywhere. I find it hard to see myself wanting to be back home again.