Was Sad to Move Back to Hometown; Playing Tourist Helped

When I packed up my apartment in Dublin to move back to Delhi, I thought the hardest part would be saying goodbye to friends, the café that had become my go-to for breakfast, and my favorite museums.

Instead, the hardest part was arriving back home.

A year in Dublin wasn’t a lifetime, but it was long enough to change me. Although my experience wasn’t perfect, I got to study at my dream university and travel to places in Ireland I had only ever seen in movies.

Still, the housing crisis, high rent, and uncertain job market made staying feel impossible. So, in 2024, I headed back to the Indian city where I’d spent most of my childhood.

I expected Delhi to feel loud, comforting, familiar — basically, the way it always had. Instead, I felt disconnected from my surroundings. Part of this was because I couldn’t stop comparing it to Dublin.

Returning made me reflect on how Delhi had shaped me

Delhi has always been a part of me, even when I wasn’t living there. I spent most of my teenage years and early 20s in Mumbai and Bangalore, but I still visited Delhi often.

Finally, at 24, I moved back to Delhi for four years. It felt like home, but I rarely felt the same sense of excitement and awe that comes with living in a new place. By the time I left for Dublin at 28, I was excited to try somewhere new.

In Dublin, I walked everywhere, got lost on purpose, and discovered things I never would’ve noticed if I were rushing through. Every day felt like a mini adventure.

Living like that made me realize how much I craved novelty — and I wondered if maybe, my home city could surprise me if I learned to look at it differently.

So, I decided to try an experiment. I’d get to know Delhi the way I had once gotten to know Dublin: like a tourist.

Rediscovering Delhi’s historic sites revealed the city in an entirely new light

First up, I decided to revisit India Gate. As a kid, it had been the backdrop for school picnics, family outings, and those unhurried summer days.

I thought I might sit on the lawns and have a picnic, a habit I’d picked up again in Dublin. So much had changed since my childhood — the lawns were empty, picnics were no longer allowed, and a food court had taken their place.

Beneath those changes, though, India Gate carried the same warmth I remembered.

Still, I wandered through the monument, and when a photographer offered to take my picture, I couldn’t resist. It felt oddly fun to do something so touristy in my own city.

After India Gate, I headed to Lodhi Garden, a park I’ve always loved and one that also holds memories of some of my earliest dates with my boyfriend.

This time, a friend suggested I visit the garden during golden hour. I walked slowly, watching the light shift across the centuries-old tombs and stone arches, and the garden felt more beautiful than I’d ever remembered.

A hidden bookstore in Khan Market reminded me that there’s always more to discover

In Dublin, I made a point to explore every new-to-me corner of the city. If I happened to walk by a cute café, a bookstore, or a little shop, I went inside and let small discoveries unfold around me.

Because I was new to the city, I didn’t worry about schedules or routines — I just followed my curiosity, and loved how even tiny finds could feel exciting.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, there were many places I’d passed countless times and never visited. One of these was Faqir Chand and Sons, the city’s oldest bookstore, tucked inside the bustling Khan Market.

This time, I decided to go in. The walls were stacked with books in that charmingly chaotic way only old bookstores seem to manage, and walking in felt like discovering another layer of Delhi.

Exploring my home city like a tourist slowly made it feel like home again

My dream had been to stay longer in Dublin, so leaving wasn’t easy — but the harder part was learning to feel at home again in Delhi.

Slowly reconnecting with the city made the transition easier.

Delhi will always be my home, but having moved around so much, I know I’m not done exploring. I still dream of living in smaller cities, ones that mix my favorite parts of Dublin with the lively, slightly chaotic energy I’ve always known at home.

I learned that Delhi hadn’t changed much in the year I was away, but I had. Exploring the city with a new lens helped me find a version of it that was both fresh and home.

It taught me that every place holds surprises if you’re open to noticing them, and I’m excited to carry that curiosity into the next city I call home.