There have been several articles aiming to prepare the readers for the departure to the UK. However, the topic of preparing themselves to go home is often overlooked – no matter how it belongs to the equal importance. This article is for those of you who are currently preparing to bid a proper farewell to the UK and ready to go home.
Packing
When I am about to move to a new place for quite sometimes, this is the part I hate the most. For me, packing to go home is even way more overwhelming than vice versa. You might have lived in the UK for a year or more, thus have accumulated many pieces of stuff which you have been attached to.
Close your bank account
If your banks charge a monthly fee, it’s very suggested to close your account. Before you withdraw your money, do not forget to change the auto debit setting in some of your subscription (e.g. phone bills, Spotify, Netflix, Dropbox).
Make a list of things you want to do before leaving
There is a possibility that you will be more melancholic closer to the date of your departure – after all that is your home in the past one year. Jot down a list of places or activities that you have not done before, so there will be no regret once you go home.
Connect with your professors and friends
For those who go back to Indonesia for good, you might never know when you can go back to the UK and meet your professors and friends. So, arrange appointments with them over lunch or brunch to maintain the relationship.
Go to the Indonesian embassy
If your degree is not available in Indonesia (e.g. Narrative Environments) and you aspire to work in the public sector or a lecturer in Indonesia, you might want to go to education consulate in the embassy to confirm that you get the degree in the UK. You can go to the embassy before lunch time and bring 11 copies (1 copy for the embassy, ten copies for your repository) of your degree certificate. After lunch break, you can take back the signed copies.
It is also suggested that you report to the embassy about your departure to home. For Garuda passengers, you can also use a letter from the embassy indicating that you go back for good to possibly get additional 10 kg for your luggage.
Prepare your mental state to go home
You must have already instructed your brain to remember all the little things about home. Why? The UK might have indulged you a lot with all its convenience, but home is different. Most likely, you will complain about the weather, pollution, traffic congestion and many others. But, be mindful that you have to re-adjust yourself back like the time you adjusted yourself to the UK. By anticipating things that you will encounter at home, you can minimise the risk of severe reverse culture shock.
List down things you want to do at home
The first few days after your arrival at home, you might just want to find tune your sleeping time with the new time zone. Afterwards, you can list down things you want to do – for example, going to the dentist- before you are busy with your new job. Packing to go home cannot be done a day before your departure – in fact, I started packing a month before. The first step you have to take is choosing wisely which stuffs you will be taken home. The rest you can either sell it in the pre-loved stores or to the upcoming students or you can donate it to those in need.
After you know which ones to bring home, you can vet which things that you can send back with the delivery service. For example, some of my friends use Trico to send books or any other things that are not used daily – given that Trico might take three months to arrive in Indonesia. Depending on the brand, the delivery service can be your affordable option to bring your stuff back without the risk of having overweight luggage at the airport. You can also ask up to seven friends to use the same delivery service and split the bill.