In her philosophical essay, Achterblijven Huijer researches what ‘Staying behind’ means in relation to the immigration from Europe to overseas. Did the meaning of staying behind change these past decades? Telephones, internet and computers make it possible to be in direct contact with anybody anywhere. Or does migrating to a far away country still makes it difficult to stay in touch? Something that hasn’t changed is that the ones that stay behind are essential for the preservation of culture and community. Because the world is becoming smaller for Europeans, Huijer argues that departing and staying behind have acquired an entirely new meaning: final farewell seams to be a thing of the past.