With no kids, no partner, I think you have lots of options. It sounds like you should move back to the USA, definitely. Sorry Australia didn’t work out for you.

Maybe you should look for jobs first? Then move based on what you find? Otherwise, I would guess you could move to a nice town, but then find a job that requires you to move again… Which probably isn’t ideal.

I briefly moved back to the Raleigh Durham area after being away for 20 years. But tbh, it’s not a great place if you are older and single. Most of the people there are married with kids, living in their planned suburbs, talking about school zoning issues and frequent flyer points…

Good luck.

I’m American, moved to the Czech Republic when I was in my late 20’s, loved it, witnessed other expats come and go. Some loved it, other hated it. I noticed it tended to be quite black or white: they loved it or hated it…

Here are two observations which may help:

1- If you are looking for to recreate your home country in France, just with better wine and baguettes, you’re going to have a bad time. It’s obviously going to be quite different. Some accept the bad with the good. Others constantly complain when France does not function like their home country… You have lived in France before, you speak the language, so you should be ok, assuming you enjoyed your time there.

2- I noticed that when couples moved, the key was the one who was not working. Let’s say the husband is working. He meets people through work, he travels, he has a life through work that keeps him active, ensures social networks, intellectual stimulation, etc. However, the wife, if she is just staying home, needs to actively find her raison d’etre. Either find her own job, or find a serious hobby, or something. If she is mainly at home, it’s harder.

Because what ultimately happened is all the shit jobs got dumped on the wife, because the husband was too busy with work. Moving to another country can be stressful, but there is also admin headache. You have to submit this form, go to this government office. Or even wait for the plumber who never shows up to fix a leak, or whatever…

Long story short, in my example above, the wife gets all the shit jobs, while the husband is flying around Europe for business meetings… And of course, the wife then starts to hate her life, hate her husband for forcing her into this situation, is jealous because he is loving the expat life while she is forced to sort out all the issues that come with living in a foreign country…

But if the wife did her own thing, if she had purpose, if she was very busy with something productive and stimulating, it helped a lot. I could always tell which expats would stay: if their wife was happy, I knew they would be there long term. If not, it was a 1 year excursion, max.

Good luck.

Why don’t you take a vacation to Europe, spend 2-3 weeks in the Netherlands, maybe go to Spain, Italy. Check it out first. Perhaps you could stay with relatives there so it’s cheaper. But don’t just rearrange your entire life without being very sure you’re going to love it. Because it sounds like you have a nice situation now.

I have a very cool job in the non-profit sector, so not super well-paid, and a very stable loving relationship, my apartment, my mom… there’s still something where I feel like I’ll never fully be accepted here.

It’s strange reading your post. You seem to have it all: you are young, well educated, you have a great job, speak fluent French, you live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with one of the best health care systems in the world… And on top of that you have a loving partner, a place to live, family…

And yet, you feel “the jig is up”? Because you think people “put you down” for not being 100% French? Why do you care what they think? And your 5 weeks of vacation might not be so well spent because you use them to fly to the USA? Talk about 1st world problems!

I mean… It’s hard to sympathize with your plight because I don’t really see the issue tbh. You have what probably 99% want. You are winning life and yet you are sad.

I think some people expect to be happy, feel the world owes them happiness. And if they aren’t happy, it can only mean they need to change an external factor: change a job, dump their partner, move to a new country, whatever. They are always looking for that external “thing” that will finally make them happy. And sure, if you are in a bad relationship, change it! If your boss is an asshole, switch jobs! But that’s not your situation, is it? Quite the opposite!

It sounds to me like your problem is not Paris, but something inside yourself. You need to understand that until you come to terms with who you are, until you are comfortable with yourself, you will always be looking to fix something external. Now it’s Paris, but my guess is if you go back to the US, in 2-3 years you’ll be talking about Asia, or South America, or going back to graduate school, or whatever. Anything to fix that hole you can’t seem to fill.

Happiness and self-fulfillment comes from within. But we first need to choose to be happy, it’s a conscious decision. Then we process our experiences to fulfill that chosen path.

Good luck.

UK is no longer part of the EU, so it’s not trivial to get a permanent Visa for Spain or Portugal. Especially if you plan to work…

FYI, I live in the Mediterranean, but the winters here are not pleasant. Very rainy, cold winds, and poorly insulated homes. I always dread December - March. Otherwise, it’s fantastic.