Growing homesickness among expats

Moving away from one’s home and family is always difficult; even when it’s one’s own decision. While there is so much to look forward to, you can’t help but feel sad about all you have to leave behind. Thanks to air travel, not to mention the convenience of the internet, distances don’t feel that great anymore.

All the video calls and photo sharing help keep the homesickness at bay, while we make plans to see our friends and family again. That is: until there is a pandemic, life stands still and the uncertainty of being able to see your loved ones grows by each passing month.

Me and my family moved to the Netherlands from China in the summer of 2019. While I we decided that the Netherlands would be the best place for us to raise our child and two dogs. There was also the added benefit of being close to at least one of our families. I am not a person who gets easily homesick, as I have spent the better part of my youth travelling and hence am used to being away from home; besides, I was already living separated from my family during my stay in China anyways. We made plans for my family to come visit us in the Netherlands for my little one’s second birthday. I spent months planning what was going to be their first visit to the Netherlands. We were all so excited and could hardly wait to see each other again. Even when the news of the corona virus broke in China, I didn’t let it dampen my spirits. Who would have thought it would go so wrong so fast?

Mere weeks before my family’s scheduled departure, the Indian government issued travel bans. All their flights were cancelled and along with them my hopes and dreams. What was going to be a perfect fun-filled birthday celebration with family at my daughter’s favorite theme park, the Efteling, was now a somber affair with just the three of us at home. Forget about seeing my family, we couldn’t even visit my husband’s family just a couple of hours away. I started to feel lonelier here than I am Indian, my husband is Dutch. Together

had ever felt in China, when I had no family nearby.

My friends haven’t seen their family in almost a year, even though they live much closer, in Switzerland. Their parents couldn’t even visit their grandson for his first birthday. A lot of Indians in the Netherlands are used to return home for the festivals, so this year’s celebrations have been nothing short of depressing. An American told me how badly she misses her family back in the States; now more than ever, as she is about to undergo surgery and they can’t visit her to provide any sort of support. Another expat told me how terribly she misses her family, which is spread across eight countries, none of which she is allowed to travel to, or they here.

I used to call my mom once in a week or every ten days; now we are calling every other day, even if we have little to talk about. My parents terribly miss watching their granddaughter grow up. We all kept our chins up throughout spring and summer while we missed the tulip fields and visits to the beach, telling ourselves that there is always next year. However, it’s getting harder to keep courage as the end to this terrible ordeal doesn’t seem to be in sight. My husband and I haven’t seen our grandparents in over a year, who are well into their nineties. We can’t help but wonder, will we get to see them before it’s too late?

If anything, the corona virus has taught us all how precious our time with our loved ones is and that we should never take it for granted. I guess all I want for Christmas this year is a corona virus-free world, and my new year’s resolution is never to take another moment with my loved ones for granted, because we never know when we get to see them again.

Written by Priyanka Sharma

United Wardrobe and Vinted join forces: A stand against fast fashion?

United Wardrobe, the leading online second-hand clothing platform in the Netherlands, has been taken over by its international competitor Vinted. The world of second-hand fashion is growing rapidly in popularity, leading to an astounding number of four million users to sign up as members on the United Wardrobe app. This is a huge number, considering it covers only three countries: the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Vinted, founded in Lithuania, is a similar online community, which has reached as many as twenty million members from twelve different countries. The two applications have decided to merge in an attempt to take the world of second-hand fashion by storm.

As attention to sustainability becomes more and more prominent in the media, consumers are becoming more aware of their personal impact on the environment. Research into the practices of fast fashion brands has brought shocking stories to the surface. Evidently, the mass production of clothing at low cost often has detrimental consequences for workers. In addition, these brands collectively contribute to 20% of the global wastewater and 10% of global gas emissions. Keeping these statistics in mind, it is fair to say that mass consumerism has made its mark on our world.

Desperately trying to sustain this materialistic mindset, popular fast fashion brands claim to make up for the damage they do by taking small steps in the right direction. However, attempts at sustainable clothing lines, better treatment of workers and more eco-friendly forms of production often get negative press. These efforts are simply not large enough to make a noteworthy difference. Sometimes research leads to even more questions about the balance between the actual efforts and the transparency of what these brands claim to represent. For example, just last year H&M was under fire for its so-called ‘conscious collection’. While descriptions were persuasive in making the line seem sustainable, no actual details were shared about the changes in production. Whether this was just a marketing ploy or not is still unclear.

With the slowly deteriorating popularity of fast fashion, a rapid growth in second-hand shopping occurred. Both the social and economic climate have contributed to this trend. Donating and selling old and unused clothing used to be something one could only do in person. Creating an online platform for this has made it easier to find a new home for unused items. Both Vinted and United Wardrobe have successfully implemented this concept, simplifying and streamlining the process of sustainable clothing exchange. The apps work with several modes of giving and receiving feedback, allowing minimal malpractice in selling and acquiring clothing pieces.

So, if the two apps followed exactly the same process, why did they decide to merge? According to the founders of United Wardrobe, Vinted has become a ‘unicorn’ company, with its profits exceeding a billion euros. The partnership will allow even more of Dutch, French and Belgian users to contribute to the cause. This sounds like an ideal situation; however, one problem has angered previous United Wardrobe users. Although a United Wardrobe account is easily transferrable to the new Vinted platform, accounts that are seen as ‘too commercial’ are immediately blocked by Vinted. This means that accounts processing too many transactions, or users that make their own clothing and decide to sell them on Vinted, are banned from the platform. Although this is understandably disappointing, it is important to remember that this app is not intended to become a tool for independent businesses.

Overall, the growth of Vinted and its collaboration with United Wardrobe will benefit the global progression towards a more sustainable form of fashion. The benefits of a global clothing exchange, accessible to more and more users, definitely outweigh the downsides. Currently, spending more time indoors gives us the chance to finally sort out our wardrobes. Directing our sights to the future, selling used clothing might be our best bet, even if it was originally bought from a fast fashion brand.