We were scared of living too far from our aging parents. Instead of either of us moving home, we found a compromise.

Alaska is a bucket-list travel destination for many. For me, it's the place I call home, but I found myself itching to leave as an adult.

Then one fateful evening, while climbing the corporate ladder to finance my European dream, I met a traveling Australian who shared a similar vision of life abroad — it felt like kismet. Through distance, we stayed connected, fantasizing about a move.

One day, I finally took the leap, packed my life into a few suitcases, and moved halfway across the world to Munich, taking the chance on an exciting new relationship and life in Germany.

Over six transformative years, Munich became our home. We built lifelong friendships and discovered a healthy work-life balance. Our relationship became rock-solid, and we flew to Las Vegas to get married. Not long after, we were granted permanent residency.

I often joked that I was a German at heart, and living in Munich felt like a homecoming in many ways, so I never saw myself leaving after working so hard to get here.

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought our lives and global travel to a screeching halt. Seemingly overnight, our idyllic place between Sydney and Eagle River felt impossibly far away.

Living half a world away from our aging parents went from being an exciting life adventure to a stressful and agonizing distance.

But where is home when you're a multinational couple? How could we choose between his parents in Sydney and my parents in Alaska?

I have dual Canadian citizenship through my dad, and Vancouver, Canada, shot to the top of our shortlist because of its frequent flights year-round to Sydney and seasonal direct flights to Anchorage. (Offseason, I could fly home via Seattle with a quick stopover.)

The moment I landed in Vancouver, my heart ached for life in Munich. I wasn't sure I could adjust to both the culture shock of living in Canada and the reverse culture shock of being back in North America.

Within hours, I was on a direct three-hour flight home and by his side in the hospital, able to support him and my mom during his long recovery.