Ok, raise your hands all those of you who came to Bahrain “just for two-three years, I’ll earn some tax free money and go back” and ended up staying MUCH longer than you ever intended? Raising family, building a career and making-friends-who-become-family … that’s a big chunk of life. Yes, that’s my hand back there … I’ve spent nearly four decades here!
And it’s not just executives – my laundryman, who has been taking in our laundry for three decades comes from a family that put down roots in Bahrain three generations ago.
The Bahrain life, the Bahrain experience is so rosy for so many that even once you get ‘back home’, Bahrain lingers. I know of former Bahrain residents who leave the island and promptly start Bahrain Associations to keep in touch with their Bahrain friends, now settled in their neighbourhood. There are Former Bahrain Residents Clubs (FBRC) or variations thereof in places as far away as Canada, the UK and Kerala and even in Dubai!
If you spend so much time reliving your Bahrain memories after you leave the kingdom, you have to ask yourself: Are you ever really ready to leave? Many expats I know pay lip-service to returning home, putting their feet up and taking cruises, but the truth is that those farewell parties are always a rude awakening to how unprepared we really are for life outside charmed Bahrain.
First, the financials. Multiple studies reveal that Asian expats don’t bother stashing cash in pension funds, investing instead in their children’s education and trusting in the strength of cultural values that will see most children taking care of their parents when they are old. In 2003, the Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer Baghban painted a picture of life where the kids don’t step up to the plate post their parent’s retirement. It was a huge hit – tapping into every 50-plus parent’s inner fears – and spurring moments of pure emotional blackmail since parents made their kids watch the film as an instructional video on how NOT to deal with their old age!
These days, there are investment advisers and bankers (if you still believe in Santa Claus) to tell you how to invest your money for a comfortable retirement. But the big gap lies in preparing socially for the post-retirement life. I mean, there are only that many FBRC meetings you can attend!
Adjusting to the wider world socially and culturally is key to a happy retired life. When you leave the Bahrain bubble, you often return to a world that moves faster and where building a network requires more effort than you remember having to expend in Bahrain. The trick would be to start now, when one is still living in Bahrain, by returning on holidays and getting to know the place of our retirement and letting the ‘hood get to know us in small doses.
Also, we need to start living beyond the office. Our hobbies need to be developed and to have depth before we start pursuing them seriously post-retirement. It’s like building our muscles with exercise – it doesn’t happen overnight.
Now, where did I put that application form for the FBRC in Chennai? I believe they have a waiting list and vetting process that includes a speed test on Bahrain … let me get to know my Bahrain before I leave it!