Watch: Why This NRI Moved Back to India After 8 Years in Canada: Brinell's Family Journey

4:12 To move abroad and u so just one quick question there. I mean is it like you know from a career perspective like you had an opportunity to move to Canada or like you wanted to explore after moving there just curious from you and from your husband's perspective. so yeah from my hus husband's perspective career was not an issue. He could move he works for a global MNC so you know he could move wherever he wanted to move. that was not an issue. So career was not the primary motive. The primary motive like I said was was was more to that you know wanting to live that you know creating that spice in life wanting to experience you know have new experiences and talk about it and and and relive you know at a later stage. So that was that was all all that the reason was to move. Okay, makes sense.

5:02 So it sounds like I think there is a flexibility from a career-wise that kind of open up the opportunities to travel wherever you prefer and you selected that Canada for the reasons that we discussed. So how is the life in Canada

5:14 In terms of exploration like I would love to hear about your journey some of the experiences. Yeah. there. so that's a very nice question and I've got mixed answers for that. So you know traveling or moving to a different country is is just like marriage I feel. Initially everything is hunky dory. Everything wow this so good this so good. So when we first moved to Canada it was April of 2016 and it was snowing that point of time it was the first snow we ever experienced and it was beautiful. I mean you know our daughter was quite small at that time. She was around 2 and a half years old and and and it it was just totally beautiful. We we absolutely loved the snow and we were like oh this is so good. 3 years passed the same snow fell in April. It was like oh my god who's going to who's who's going to look after the yard now and you know who's going to shovel? Is it your turn or my

6:15 Turn? Yeah. seven years down the line it was like oh my god I I can't bear this anymore so so if I have to you know put down an experience it's beautiful at the same time it's annoying similar to wherever you move whether you are in India whether you're in Canada whe wherever you are in whichever place the experiences are related to how you how how you take in that so Canada was beautiful for us and I have I I I have not much problems as such with Canada. I love the place just like I love India and yeah that's about it. Got it. so I know I think

7:00 You spent close to 8 years I think maybe in Canada. Yeah. So I think why the thought of moving to India occurred and sounds like I think you know you're happy. I mean it's kind of beautiful. I mean it's like any any place right so it's how you take it so why the thought of India happened and why the move to India again yeah this is this is where I get serious and it was actually one of the major reasons why we moved here is for the kids so my my kid was in grade five and I noticed that u it was too early an age for her to not be a kid. you know like because because abroad it's like everything you're just growing up too fast. You're not doing the bachan things that you used to do. And we wanted we had very good you can say childhoods both of

8:03 Us. So very memorable childhoods things that we did and and and you know just being childish and we didn't want our daughter to grow up so fast. So that was one of the major reasons why we decided that our kids need better grounding in education. Education as such is very good in Canada. I myself have alliedelves with various universities there and I know how it is. So you know if I was to do my postgrad there or even my grad there, I think it would have been very fulfilling for me education wise. So education is very good. Grounding in education, the lower level of education, you know, where where where you're creating a base for yourself. that was somewhere that we found was missing. We didn't want everyone to be a winner. You know, we wouldn't be where we are if we would have thought that everyone is a winner.

8:50 So that was the reason why we decided let's come back. Another reason was my my in-laws came to Canada. they they came there every year and they lived with us for 6 months and then they came back to India. So, so, so you know, we always had our in-laws with us. But there came a time last year when we realized it might not be able it's it's not possible for my in-laws to be traveling every year. They're getting old. And that thought, you know, of the kids wanting to know their cousins, wanting to know their uncles and aunts, wanting to know their Aji better, wanting to know my parents better, and basically wanting to know a place better, you know, from where you are culturally, what your roots are, why are your parents saying something that they are saying and what they mean by that.

9:42 Yeah. So tying up all these things we thought this is a very good age for us to move back for the kids they are age wise it is good for us to move back and that's the reason we took the decision. Got it. So sounds like it's the kids and you know the parents kind of helped to make the decision and sounds like maybe the timing is more like when the kid was in fifth grade so that why you made that timing actually because you have to move someday or the other you know living abroad is like living alone right and coming from a from a country like India where there are so many like my neighbor says colors we've got a lot of colors lot of people and and then you know we've got so many stories to tell each other. So someday you've got to come back if you're somebody who's a storyteller like you.

10:32 So so yes why we moved. And for how long you

10:37 Planned your return back or is it something like you decided in January and then you moved in April? Just curious about the timing of the planning and yeah the move itself took us three to four months to move back. one thing that has really helped and I would like to share this with everyone is we have always kept plan A plan B with us always as an option and it's something that we followed since we've met each other me and my husband. So that's been like just right after college. So you know creating that visual board knowing that if if this does not work what will work or or you know if if I'm bored with plan A can I do a plan B that really helped because we were prepared come what me so it took us two to three monthsh we thought the time is right and if you've taken a decision there's no point mulling over it that's what I've seen many of our friends ask us we have been thinking of moving from such a long time

11:37 You know we've been thinking of moving from one year So if you're mulling over the decision then you're not sure about it. So you know if you've taken a decision stick to that make your plans and move. Yeah. So that's the reason why you know we we we took just three months did our homework we we both sat together this is your part of the job this is my part of the job divided the job within ourselves sorted things out whatever we had to sort and we moved. So three months. Got it. Makes sense. And so

12:05 How did you choose the place where you want to move back to India? Is it like with where the you know in-laws or from a kid just curious you know how you decide the place where you want to settle in India? No see the primary reason why we moved is for the kids. So we wanted you know our daughter basically my son was born in Canada and my daughter lived a major part of her childhood in Canada. So from a Canadian perspective coming to India you know you got to think about how comfortable your child is with everything that's going on. You know you got to think of your child's mental health too. So when we moved the first thing we wanted is a good school and when we did our research about the schools we decided that IGCSE or Cambridge board would be the best for them because if tomorrow they not if actually if they want to do their further education their graduation somewhere abroad not necessarily Canada wherever this is a good platform for

13:07 Them to be in. Second is IG you know ICE and CBSC boards are are not really you can say they are more more centered towards towards vote learning and you know learning too much. We wanted our kids to do more projects to understand more about the environment. So that's the reason why the school was primarily important. Second important was the place where we are living. we are in Bombay and the houses here are very compact. So we wanted a huge house. We wanted a place where our kids love skating. they love swimming. they love certain activities, table tennis and things like that. So we wanted a place where that you know that can happen just like that like in a jify. Okay mom I just want to go skating and you just go and we also wanted a place where we are close to nature because that is one thing I think me and my husband honed our skills in understanding how we can be one with nature. So nature was something you know it was all around us but in Bombay or in

14:09 India we were not able to actually you can say appreciate nature the way we appreciated it in Canada and we wanted to be close to nature. So we wanted lakes nearby. We wanted gardens nearby. we we wanted a place that was shaded with trees. So this was our primary requirement. Now what we did for that is we created a visual board when I'm moving what is most important for me. So these were the things that was more important, most important. This is the place where I can find it and and and and you know this is the school. It should also be somewhere where we are close to in-laws. It should also be somewhere where we are close to friends. So we had all those things taken into consideration and that's how we decided where we are going to meet. Got it.

14:53 So in terms of the school I think you kind of mentioned about the curriculum like how did you go about selecting a school like you know what are the things that you have interviewed the school or the criteria that you looked at you know because kids is the primary reason I think so you would have paid lot of attention to that so curious on that aspect and how you down selected a school in a particular location right right so I got a lot of opinions from from a lot of sites you know there are a lot of Facebook groups groups that help you understand what you can do, which schools you can go to. Once we had decided on which place we want to be in, we did not think of where where we are going to land our jobs and things like that. What we first saw is what are the schools, what are the options and schools that I have in that area. Then we did go through reviews of the school on online and and and and you know we spoke to a lot of people there. The final thing we did is actually went to the school and basically instead of the school interviewing us, we were the ones

15:53 Who were interviewing them. So we wanted to know what their thought processes, how will our kids assimilate themselves in that environment and what the teachers would do to keep them comfortable. So we found a school based on that. I mean it was not on recommendation but it was on our gut feeling. So we went ahead and did that job of actually interviewing seeing the school seeing the classrooms seeing how the teachers are you know you you kind of get a vibe of a place once once once you go there. So based on that vibe and based on that gut instinct and we took our daughter's recommendation also into consideration what she loved and what she did not love. So it was all like you know it was a family decision and we arrived on that decision based on that. So you know we knew that our kid would also be comfortable there. Got it.

16:42 So is this something that you have done before your permanent move like you know visited India for some time or like after the move you took the time and then kind of evaluated the schools and then make a decision. So I booked appointments before I moved. I knew the date when I'm going to move within one week I came here first thing I did was we we went we did the school interviewing we finalized the school and then we searched for the house. So that's how we went about it. Yeah. So the the house has to be near the school and then you know it has to meet that criteria that we have for ourselves. So all that taken into consideration this is how we moved. Makes sense. While we

17:20 On the kids I think another quick point that I want to check on is the language right. I mean especially like I think when your daughter is in the fifth grade or sixth grade so want to understand about her comfort with you know that first and sec second and third language right. I think maybe if you can talk a little bit about that I think that would be very helpful. Yeah, this was the list of questions that I had asked during my school interview. So, it's very important for parents who who are searching for a school to ask the right questions in the school. So, this was obviously you can say a point for us where a kid wouldn't know much Hindi or Marathi. She doesn't know it right now but the teachers are very helpful. there have been extra classes that have been given to her and because it is a IGCSE board teachers are much more helpful and last year when she joined there was not much problem because the teachers were like it's okay

18:20 She doesn't know so they they gave her a different revision sheet altogether so all the other students were following the textbook but she was following the barakari thing and and you know learning the basics kind of which has worked very beautifully for her and she's got friends in class who are helping her cope up with that which is also very good because they created that club for my daughter where you know she can go and ask questions about her Hindi she now is very comfortable with Hindi and my son who is who is just 6 years old he is now full full Mumbai Hindi like nice so so it's It's it's marvelous. It's amazing how kids are coping up with the subject. But it's very important that you ask the right question in the school and you tell the teachers that this is what my expectation is and how you can help me in this. So, so that works. Yeah, that's fantastic to hear. so I think before

19:19 We dive into your life in India is there anything that you want to explain from a planning perspective on a logistic side or a financial or any other aspects of the move especially for someone who have lived in Canada for 8 years right I think there are yeah anything that you can share from that side yeah the first thing when you are when you're moving anywhere I I don't know I have spoken to so many people once they immigrated from India to Canada and many of them were not prepared to come to Canada. They had not done their homework. So if you're moving back, don't follow the same system. Do your homework. So when I'm saying homework, you have to have a list of things that you need closing on. it could be your financial situation. It could be your finances, what you got to do with it. It could be your investments. Maybe you've got some real estate there. So how are you going to manage that? What are the best aspects of that? That is from the financial point of view. Secondly is how many people are there in your house. How comfortable are they? Because I've seen

20:20 A lot of people who have moved here and then their kids have not liked it. So you know you need to have that all hands on deck for this. It's it's a huge move especially when kids are involved. So so that aspect needs to be taken care of and when you are closing things you have to you you know you've made friends there and and you know that social circle someday you might go there to visit. So, so how do you keep that social circle moving even when you're here? That is the third thing that you need to not close but look into or we look into and when we do our planning I am it's it's it's it's worked for me and my husband beautifully every time to create visual boards and when I'm saying visual boards it's something that I learned in organizations and something that we bring from the organization right there are certain things that you learn at work and you're like this works beautifully at home too. So when you're creating your visual goal visual board, you have to have your end goal in

21:21 Mind. What is my end goal? Okay. So once your end goal is only the move, no your end goal is to get into the society and be happy, you know, once you're back here. So what you got to do to see that you know you are you are achieving that goal. It will give you a direction of what things you need to do. So always write things always write things down. This is my priority. this this is the percentage I'm allocating to this priority this this this and and and things will be very clear because many people talk to me and they tell me oh we are not able to know where to start so start with creating that visual board you have your visuals with you every morning you get up you see that you have something new that you've thought oh and and and that is the best way for you to move forward because everyone's story is different and and you know when you're closing your basic Basically when you're when you're closing one door in Canada and and and you know opening a door in

22:22 On it will all get very muddled up right so that clarity is very important and once you bring that clarity things are going to work very smoothly. Got it. I think it's a very well said I think an a plug in I think we have a checklist that we have for people who are considering to move back to India right I mean there are things from a financial side as you said but there are other things from a compliance like some of the forms that you have to fill like updates that you have to do so you can check that out and you can get that free copy in the link we will have it in the description below so wonderful yeah checklists are the best thing that has ever happened so if organizations can do their SOPs we can do a checklist moving. Yeah. So, so yeah, wonderful, wonderful. That's wonderful. Ain, that's good.

23:09 Yeah. So, how is the life in India after the move and how is the you know settle going on? I mean you have this vision board and how is that to the reality like in terms of how the transition is going? it's not it's never going to be 100% right. There will be ups and downs. Sure. but by far like I told you our main priority was the children settling down and we are seeing them grow up beautifully. My my daughter has again started becoming childish and my son you know I I'll give you a very very very funny anecdote actually what happened is he went to play and then he comes back and he says mama can you ask that boy's mama permission to play with me? so so it went from that phase to now him going to somebody's house eating food and coming there and not bothered about you know what's happening around because he knows that it's a safe space here. Yeah. So

24:10 That aspect has has beautifully worked for us in India. Now having said that we we came back here and even though if you remember I I told you in the beginning that we wanted to travel to a lot of places. Yes. so you have this thing in mind that when you have dollars in your hand you get more power to travel. But that's not the truth. You you must have spoken to so many people and you must have seen that you know that that dollar comes in it goes out. you you don't have much to travel. I feel that INR works better if you want to travel. So we we we started doing what we love. We started traveling again. We started going out. having more social interactions with friends who matter. That is something that we came back to India and I'm so happy about that because I used to have a lot of social interactions in Canada.

25:10 There there was always there was always a party in my yard but that's it. but here social interactions is something much more than that you know it kind of feels mazagya kind of thing you know so that has come back. my kids actually went to the village. They went to somebody's yard, brought mangoes from there, ate a lot of mangoes and so they went to a stream near the village and you know they brought crabs from a stream in and I was like okay wow. So those experiences we are really enjoying in India. It's not 100% we are not 100% there. I still I still absolutely hate the weather here and not not weather actually but the heat here. Yeah. Yeah. I I don't like the katra that is all over. it annoys me.

26:00 I don't like the pu pollution but u but what are you getting in in return for that is much more valuable. So social interaction stories to tell. So yeah. So that's fantastic. Yes. I mean I think no place is perfect right. I think depending on what your key priorities are, you have to navigate the other things that come along with it. So, absolutely. Yes. so since like you

26:25 And your husband are so avid travelers, I would love to get some recommendations for places to check out in India like any anything that you recommend or suggest like someone who is more in the nature side or you know any anything that you can recommend? Oh, things have changed so much from you know I feel very old after coming here because traveling wise things have changed so much. People are much more open to new experiences here. one thing to check out are all the tiger reserves and the lion reserves that we have. Many of us don't give much importance to those safaris and we don't treat it as you know being one with nature but I think safaris are things that you need to do whether it's in Maharashtra, whether it's in Gujarat, whether it's in Madhya Pradesh. so you know go for those safaris, take your kids there, teach them more about animals. Don't go there only to you know tick markers. Teach teach them more about the animals that are there in our subcontinent. there is also the I I I forget the name

27:26 It's but you know there is a Briha Mumbai society for animals and plants. So they take you for trips in a colony. in Bangaluru there are many people who are getting you to go get one with nature. It's very important that these experiences be experienced by us. Other than that, if you're talking about luxury, it's it's very amazing because if I have to go camping here, I just book a camping tour and it's all luxurious. You don't have to go there and you know, you don't have to do anything. Even though that's an experience that I absolutely love. We we used to camp a lot in Canada in US but then you know coming here doing the luxurious kind of camping is is also another experience that people should experience. Now that is from the nature point of view. Yeah. Then if you're looking at architecture Canada has got I I'm sorry to say but but there is not much in architecture that I can say that oh wow this is good. I mean you go to certain places you go and see it and and that's it. So architecture is so

28:26 Beautiful. So experience that in India because you don't you you don't find that in other places you know you don't find the palaces you it's it's just beautiful go and eat the food because you know people are normally they don't appreciate the food at the right place so go and eat the food in various places understand those different cuisines which is also sometimes you know we we also love food so that was also another reason why we moved to Canada and we we got a chance to taste all the cuisines but food back home. Yeah, that that you start appreciating those small things much more than you know the like jack fruit I get jack fruit from Vietnam there I'll get jack fruit from Philippines like jack fruit from India from your village from your tree nothing beats that so yeah have these experiences don't go for places to travel just because you have to travel what are you going to experience in that travel you know if it's the seashore I was so bored of

29:27 Seeing the lake every time we go we go to the beach we're just seeing the lake ah But but it's not the seashore. The seashore is the seashore. Yeah. So you had to go all the way to the Pacific coast, you know, to actually experience the sea. And then when we went it was not safe. So So I I think these are the experiences that you should have in India and you should experience every other place north of India. If you want to experience the snow, there is Sikkim which is so beautiful. Now Migalia which is in this for all the wrong reasons right now but then absolutely beautiful Ainina so people should explore that people should take that car out because once you are from Canada or you've moved from other country you have learned the joy of driving I'm sure so drive take your car out and and and go and explore these places. No thanks a lot for sharing those tips there. so I think one

30:24 Other quick thing that I want to check in with you was on a career planning side especially you know people who are moving from abroad to India. is your husband still with the same MNC so he has the same flexibility to join in in the Indian company or maybe anything that you can share from a career side for you or for your husband. So for me I I started two businesses there which were running very well. So I would like to explore more about that and I have put my business on hold right now. I have my stuff there going on but then you know I have put my businesses on hold right now. I want to explore options here. So talk to the right people and there are a lot of options for importing and exporting and understanding more about the business. So that part of career is working. I have got people who are asking me for consulting options where you know they want to know more about how to do business in Canada and stuff like that. So so if you approach it's all about approach whether you're here or anywhere in the world that is what

31:25 People need to understand how does your approach towards things. So if you're approaching it the right way then yes there are a lot of options. having said that for my husband he has had no problems with the job hunt as such. he moved back here got a better position. you know you you're coming from a from north Indian market to the Indian market and obviously you know you can bring in so much value in APAC you know when especially when you are there at the hub so so so I think I think it all depends on how you're selling yourself especially organization right so work on that on on what are your positives and how you're going to sell yourself so that is very important for for career But at the same time I have also heard stories of people who've not got a job yet for for many for various reasons because one thing is I think Indian companies are very wary of taking

32:26 People who have not worked in India anymore. It's the like Canadian companies are very wary of taking people who are who have not worked in Canada. It's I think it started India like everything has started following that trend too. So I see a lot of people who are still searching for jobs. So what you can do is start searching for jobs in India in Canada itself and you know once you have something in pipeline what you can do is one of you know one spouse comes here gets that job if that is what is important. If you have your finances in place, then that's not an issue. But but you know, if you have to come here and set up everything again, then might as well, you know, get a job here and then get your family here. Or else send your family here, send them to the parents and you get a job. So, so, so you know those kind of options. But yeah, getting a job should not be a problem if you know where your skill sets are and if your mind is at the right place of that you have to get a job kind of thing. Yeah, makes sense.

33:23 Is there anything that we haven't covered that you want to bring up or any advice for people who are aspiring to move back to India? People who are aspiring to move back to India. I think one thing you have to see is how you can better place your investments and mitigate risks here. because when once you are in Canada you obviously have you know certain investments there so planning that that financial planning has to be very strong when you're coming here so that is my word of advice second is don't expect this to be another Canada you you've been in India all your life right and suddenly you're coming from a different country and you're expecting India to be like that country that's that's totally wrong so you've got to give chance to the India that you left back which has grown exponentially but but but is still laidback right so people come with this aspiration

34:24 Many people have this you know financially they were not very stable in Canada and that's why they came back to India and then in India so you've got to give yourself time and and you got to invest your time at the same point of time you've got to see that you know your age is also not not working for you because many people who've moved from there to year are in maybe 35s 40s post 40s. So you you've got to do a very rational decision. So my advice for people who are moving from there to year is create your visual board. Do that checklist that Avin is telling you. See if all those items have been ticked off and then take the decision. But book that flight if you're not going to book that flight you're going to wait for another two years and for time and then you'll be like oh I'm stuck here. That that has also happened.

35:11 There are many stories of that happening too. Don't get stuck. If you've made a decision, then stick to it and go ahead. Completely agree. I think act on it or make a conscious decision. I think a lot of people think about it, but they don't take the time to think through if this makes sense and before they realize that time passed by and they they are not in a position to make the decision anymore. Exactly. Exactly. Very true. So,

35:33 Thanks a lot for that Brenell. I think we have you know few rapid fire questions. I mean I think you know just to get some insight. So what's one thing you wish you knew before moving to India? One thing I I wish I knew was this this particular thing about investments. That was the only thing that I wish I knew. I we we tried to find a lot of information on that. But we had information which was very scattered. So for OCI holders who come to India and who become residents of India, what investment options you have and how you can mitigate the risks of you know having investments in both sides. So that is that is one thing that I that I wish I had more information on because that is something that we're working on even now. Got it. Good. In one word, how do you describe your return to India?

36:28 In one word, liberating. I was ready to cook and clean for me. Yeah, that's fantastic. So, yeah, thank you very much Brinell for taking the time and sharing your story and insights especially like you know having that vision board and helping you to guide and make the decision and you know and acting on it. I think that's a key message that taken and you know the importance of different priorities in the life as the kids are growing up. I think the priority is for the kids to be in a certain culture, certain environment. I think you know those things changes for each family and thanks a lot for sharing that and being with us today. Really appreciate it. Thank you so much Ain. Likewise I really enjoyed talking to you having this conversation with you. and yeah thank you. Thank you for the opportunity I must say. Yeah for sure. Yeah. Bye-bye now.