After spending five years in Japan, one member of our community found it rather strange to be back in Europe, even if, geographically speaking, she was much closer to her home country.
A smoother transition
“My husband and I are from Brussels. Our first international move took us to the Netherlands, which was a straightforward cultural adjustment in many ways,” says Tam Thanh Tran, an expat partner who moved to Tokyo in 2017. “Even if Japanese culture and society is completely different to what we experienced in the Benelux region, slowly we got used to life there. Also, because of the pandemic, we didn’t leave Japan for three years.”
Closer to home
“When my husband was offered a job in Belgrade, we were very happy, partly because we were keen to be back in Europe. But I must confess that I knew nothing about the city! We watched YouTube videos and read some articles to get a sense of what life would be like. But you never really know what it feels like to be in a place until you get there, do you?”
Leaving a bubble
“I think we could have gone anywhere and experienced some sort of culture shock. That’s because Tokyo is a bubble. It’s a huge city but very safe, very clean and very efficient. In Serbia, you might spend time waiting for a bus only to find out it’s not coming – this just wouldn’t happen in Japan! Another big shock for us was to see people smoking inside restaurants. My daughter, who had only ever lived in Japan, had never even seen a cigarette!”
Happily adjusting
“So it took us a few months to adjust but we are very happy now. The locals in Belgrade are really welcoming. English is widely spoken (unlike Japan) so it’s easy to find things and figure things out. It’s also a really great place for families as Serbians love children. In Japan, kids are expected to sit very quietly. Here it’s the opposite. Our daughter can get up and dance in a restaurant, if she wants to, and everyone loves to chat with her,” says Tam, who still misses some things about Tokyo. “Especially the food! Even the dishes that I loved the most as a kid in Belgium don’t taste as good to me after living in Tokyo!”
Photo: Tam with her daughter when they lived in Tokyo
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