I built a life in LA and became a US citizen. Then I moved back to Taipei to be closer to my aging parents.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Dean Chou, a 53-year-old US national who moved backmost to Taiwan to beryllium person to his aging parents. It's been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I was born successful Taiwan, and moved to Los Angeles successful 1999 for college.

After graduation, I sewage hired arsenic a merchandise coordinator for a lighting fixture company. I worked betwixt the American agency and the factories successful China, and that's really I learned astir procurement.

Around 2009, erstwhile the system crashed, I was laid off. My adjacent occupation was trading stiff seafood, and I continued to build the sourcing business I had started a fewer years earlier. I was helping American companies find factories and products successful Asia.

Within 2 years, I sewage my green card. After that, I discontinue truthful I could attraction connected my ain business. In 2018, I became a US citizen. I still do sourcing activity today, on pinch moving a roofing business successful Los Angeles.

Building a life successful the US

America worked retired perfectly for me.

In 2010, my woman and I bought a three-bedroom location for astir $450,000. It was built backmost successful the '50s and located connected a cul-de-sac, pinch a immense gait and a detached garage. It was a beautiful bully starting home.

In October 2019, we discovered that my woman had lung cancer, and she passed distant successful April 2021.

After she passed, I continued surviving successful the location pinch our dogs. I'd planned to clasp onto it until I retired because we had restored it together. But eventually, I realized I needed to look forward, and letting spell of the location became portion of that grieving process.

As I started reasoning astir what came next, my parents were a large portion of the decision.

They're some 78 now, and they're still tin and happy, but I've missed retired connected complete 25 years pinch them. I ever felt blameworthy astir the distance. I'm an only child; if they ever needed help, location was nary 1 else.

Before, I was married, and moving backmost wasn't thing I was earnestly considering. But by 2025, I felt it was time. More than anything, I wanted to beryllium person to my parents and friends. I tin still recreation backmost to LA anytime I want.

The cost of living successful Los Angeles was besides getting expensive, and because I could negociate my businesses remotely, moving backmost to Taipei made sense.

In April 2025, I sold the location successful California for $1.05 million. It was really affectional erstwhile I had to manus my keys to the caller owner, but each the past was past, and now it was done.

Deciding to spell home

I near Los Angeles successful October, pinch my dogs and 5 pieces of luggage. I rented a car to return maine from the airdrome to my parents' apartment.

They met maine downstairs erstwhile I arrived, and I retrieve thinking, "Oh, I'm yet home."

I stayed pinch my parents earlier getting my ain spot astatine the extremity of November. I now unrecorded successful a 780-square-foot flat astir a 15-minute locomotion from Taipei 101. My rent is 40,000 Taiwan dollars, aliases astir $1,200.

My surviving costs are usually astir $2,500. Food is overmuch cheaper than successful LA, and I don't person a car.

I'm besides still managing my LA-based institution remotely pinch a business partner. Because Taiwan is 15 to 16 hours up of Los Angeles, I spell to furniture astir 10 p.m. and aftermath up astir 3 aliases 4 successful the greeting to spell complete my messages, texts, and emails. Technology really helps.

But moving backmost hasn't been perfect. The surviving spaces are overmuch smaller. Even though I speak the language, sometimes group usage position aliases mention to things successful ways I'm nary longer acquainted with.

I still deliberation astir moving backmost to the US sometimes. If you've lived successful LA, worked there, and person friends there, it's a small difficult to leave.

But I'm gladsome I'm correct present pinch my parents now. They are still tin and don't request my thief physically yet, but I'm ready.

When I was surviving successful LA, we talked erstwhile aliases doubly a week, mostly connected Fridays aliases Saturdays. They besides followed maine connected Instagram, truthful they could support up pinch my life from afar.

Whenever I came back to Taiwan, my schedule was usually beautiful full. My parents would show maine I needed to walk much clip pinch them.

Now, we tin spot each different whenever we want. If they want maine to travel home, I'll travel home. We'll meet for luncheon aliases meal and talk astir everything. Sometimes we spell to markets aliases waste and acquisition shows together.

We get to stock those normal, mundane moments that region erstwhile made difficult.