Indian woman ditches Canada job, returns home, says ‘it does get a lot lonely’

She had it all – a dream job and what many would call a ‘fancy’ life in Canada. And yet, she chose to walk away. She returned home to India because, despite everything, the foreign land felt like a void.

Shabari, a 30-year-old Indian woman, opened up about her decision to abandon her seemingly glamorous life in Canada and return to her homeland. In a video shared on Instagram, which has since gone viral, she talks about the hidden cost of working abroad.

“When I decided to move back to India from Canada, I got asked this so many times, right? Why would you leave everything behind and come back? I was working, I was on my work visa, I studied there. One of the biggest reasons why I moved back was, you know, your life looks very fancy, right? When you see people who move abroad and you keep seeing all their happy moments on Instagram. But the reality is, it does get a lot lonely,” the woman said.

She challenged the narrative we often see on social media, where expats appear to be living their best lives abroad. “People don't post, say, at the end of the day, how tired they are when they come home.” Food became symbolic of her struggle. She spoke about how she began meal-prepping in bulk, freezing portions so she would not have to cook after exhausting shifts. “They're surviving on, like, bare minimum food, right? I remember stocking up the food I was putting in the freezer so that I didn't have to come back from work and cook. I started eating oats because that was the easiest breakfast to make,” she said.

The woman also spoke about the emotional burden of keeping her struggles hidden from her family, because sharing her difficulties would only cause her loved ones to worry. “And things like this make you miss home so much, yet you can't tell this to your family, right? Because they'll start worrying about you. And I think, yeah, this is one of the things that people don't talk so much about. But it does get a lot lonely.”


She added that when you are in a different country facing these difficulties, you start to value family and relationships ‘a lot more’.

The story resonated with many people online, and the video is flooded with comments. “I am leaving in two days… What you said is true… what people see and post on Instagram is diff… I too post many funny things, but behind each and everything there is a struggle which no one will ever know unless they experience it… The amount of stress I had… oh no, sleepless nights… but I will surely miss the good times I had here… and grateful as well because I got a chance to experience a diff world and life…” one Instagram user commented. Another agreed, “I am going through the same right now. And I can relate to you a lot. But I am not out of India.” A third added, “It’s not a step back. It’s progress. I did the same eight months ago and moved back home.”

The video has garnered nearly 150k views already.

Disclaimer: This article is based on a viral social media video and reflects the personal experiences and opinions of the individual featured. It does not represent the experiences of all individuals living or working abroad. Readers are advised to consider varying perspectives before drawing conclusions.