Once upon a time I was living the expat life, moving up the corporate ladder, with the career I always (thought I) wanted. I was learning a lot, traveling a lot, busy a lot, saving a lot ... and I was miserable. Completely and utterly miserable.

It took me a while, but, in my case, I realized that the money wasn't worth my sanity. I didn't want more stuff, I wanted to be connected to the community around me. I didn't want to spend 300 hours on a plane each year, I wanted a home. I wanted to go out for a walk in the early mornings and say hi to the people walking their dogs. I wanted to drop off my dry cleaning and have a chat with the person about how their kids were doing. I wanted a (frankly) 'normal' life in a country I understood and shared the values of, I wanted to vote, I wanted to build something and do things even if they were messy, and in general not be a part of the materialistic hard drinking lalaland that is often the life of an expat. I was unhappy.

So I quit. I started over and found a 'normal' job in a 'normal' country, and got a 'normal' apartment and live a 'normal' life. I'm not off in a mountain somewhere, I'm actually still in the same career area. I still earn quite a good salary because I was able to build on my previous experience. But I work 9-5, bake, am part of a community where I feel I belong, and am thankful for the work I put in as an expat because it was a great career stepping stone, and has given me an immense financial flexibility. I earn less, and am taxed more, but most importantly, I'm happier. This is what I want for my life.