We did 8 years in Australia and became citizens and then moved back. First to us and then Italy. We were in our fifties, and we realized that soon going back to Italy twice a year was going to be too much of a physical and financial burden, it was unsustainable. Also we didn’t really make strong ties with locals, all our friends where from different countries and younger and we knew they would move at some point. It was a good experience, but it didn’t work out for us.

Wherever it’s the easiest for those around me.

Make sure you factor in the cost of giving birth in the USA. Even with good insurance you’ll end up forking a significant amount of money. Money that could go instead in a fund for your kid’s education… I came back from Australia to USA and promptly left, first to Mexico and now Italy…

First week is too early to draw any conclusions! And it’s perfectly normal not to understand Australian English, it’s a really different accent. Give yourself a bit of time!