This is one of your best posts ever. When I moved abroad in the ‘90’s, there was no question the ‘where’ came first, for me and for everyone I knew who did it. I cannot fathom that it’s morphed into something similar to making a dinner reservation, as you so aptly described it. Perhaps they will find a like-minded community wherever they go.
Wow - that is absurd & you are spot on. Makes me wonder if these people are even adults, and if they even have a solid purpose of moving abroad...
When I was 17 I decided I wanted to go to college in an English-speaking country after graduating from high school, and the lead time was just under a year. Learning English (and become a much better English speaker) was my #1 purpose. There was no internet, so I hit the bookstore, bought a study-abroad magazine, and searched through it to learn which colleges were out there and compared them. I found three colleges in the western U.S. that I had a fair chance of getting in, pitched the idea and the cost estimate to my parents & got their backing. Then I moved on to the preparation head on.
And I'm still here in the U.S., even after becoming fluent in English, because I kept finding new purposes and reasons.
We are a variation on the theme. I say this because whilst we’ll be in South Africa (SA) for 8 months of the year, we will keep our home here in Eastern Switzerland.
Now that said, we did not select from a mail order catalogue. We have visited the country and then two years ago ended up playing golf at a place called Pearl Valley, part of Val de Vie. We thought the Val de Vie development looked great.We had a Plan A of another area. When we decided we didn’t like Plan A we looked at Val de Vie. Met many requirements, especially having a community. Then several local friends said: “if you come to SA rent at Val de Vie”
So that is how we got there; 20 days to go before we fly south.
Also we are renting so in a way doing a “try and buy”. Makes it easier but that might not be available as a choice for all.
Some people that move to another country, have a history of visiting the place, some friends and a good taste of what lies ahead. We don't. Which is why, for us, the dream or the plan changed from moving to Spain, to staying for one year. Somewhere along the way we realized that while the idea was exciting and seemed like a great next step, we didn't have that familiarity and asked ourselves, what if it doesn't work? The process here has been an interesting learning experience. We are a great team, i'm so friggin organized it's mind boggling. We are open to the idea of staying on, but we can come back and will have a place to come back to. These recent posts of yours are deep and appreciated.
Ultimately, you have to do what you feel in your gut. And, fortunately, you're in a position where it seems relatively easy to do what you're doing. Then, you'll decide - make the move permanent, split between both places, or never come back to live. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a good position to be in and, best of all, you're not fooling yourselves.
I think it's great. And I look forward to hearing about how the journey and the year in Spain unfolds.
This is one of your best posts ever. When I moved abroad in the ‘90’s, there was no question the ‘where’ came first, for me and for everyone I knew who did it. I cannot fathom that it’s morphed into something similar to making a dinner reservation, as you so aptly described it. Perhaps they will find a like-minded community wherever they go.
Wow - that is absurd & you are spot on. Makes me wonder if these people are even adults, and if they even have a solid purpose of moving abroad...
When I was 17 I decided I wanted to go to college in an English-speaking country after graduating from high school, and the lead time was just under a year. Learning English (and become a much better English speaker) was my #1 purpose. There was no internet, so I hit the bookstore, bought a study-abroad magazine, and searched through it to learn which colleges were out there and compared them. I found three colleges in the western U.S. that I had a fair chance of getting in, pitched the idea and the cost estimate to my parents & got their backing. Then I moved on to the preparation head on.
And I'm still here in the U.S., even after becoming fluent in English, because I kept finding new purposes and reasons.
We are a variation on the theme. I say this because whilst we’ll be in South Africa (SA) for 8 months of the year, we will keep our home here in Eastern Switzerland.
Now that said, we did not select from a mail order catalogue. We have visited the country and then two years ago ended up playing golf at a place called Pearl Valley, part of Val de Vie. We thought the Val de Vie development looked great.We had a Plan A of another area. When we decided we didn’t like Plan A we looked at Val de Vie. Met many requirements, especially having a community. Then several local friends said: “if you come to SA rent at Val de Vie”
So that is how we got there; 20 days to go before we fly south.
Also we are renting so in a way doing a “try and buy”. Makes it easier but that might not be available as a choice for all.
Some people that move to another country, have a history of visiting the place, some friends and a good taste of what lies ahead. We don't. Which is why, for us, the dream or the plan changed from moving to Spain, to staying for one year. Somewhere along the way we realized that while the idea was exciting and seemed like a great next step, we didn't have that familiarity and asked ourselves, what if it doesn't work? The process here has been an interesting learning experience. We are a great team, i'm so friggin organized it's mind boggling. We are open to the idea of staying on, but we can come back and will have a place to come back to. These recent posts of yours are deep and appreciated.
Ultimately, you have to do what you feel in your gut. And, fortunately, you're in a position where it seems relatively easy to do what you're doing. Then, you'll decide - make the move permanent, split between both places, or never come back to live. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a good position to be in and, best of all, you're not fooling yourselves.
I think it's great. And I look forward to hearing about how the journey and the year in Spain unfolds.