“Reintegration is easier by not talking about your past [as] you could be considered as pretentious,” commented Denis Gravel.

Allison Lee can identify. She has been back in Australia for three years following six years in Latin America and London. “It takes so much longer to make friends now... and no one wants to hear your stories.”

Eunice Tsz Wa Ma, originally from Hong Kong, still experiences culture shock even though she returns to the city every summer. “Every time I go back I just feel as if I'm left behind by time [and] the only one still living in the past.”

Hi guys! Remember me?

So after a long absence, how do you fit back in? Some of the tried and tested solutions were remarkably simple and practical.