I think all of us gypsy souls have a place that we yearn for. Even if we’ve never been there, it pulls on our heartstrings. Fills up our daydreams. Tugs us across the world.
There are a lot of practical things you can do when you’re considering moving to a place, to figure out whether it’s a right fit.
Reach out on the Network of Nice and ask for advice. Are the day-to-day life and dominant culture going to help you thrive, or are they fundamentally opposed to what you’re all about?
Look into the job market – do you have the language, skills, and experience you’ll need to find work?
What are the practicalities of getting a work visa to go there?
But in the end, when you know, you know. Those whisperings in your heart aren’t for nothing.
I used to have incurable itchy feet. Everywhere I went, I thought: “I love this; I want to live here!”
But once I settled on London, and especially since I moved here, it’s been different. Now when I visit somewhere new I think “I love this; I can’t wait to come back and visit again!”
Because I’m already exactly where I want to be, I don’t dream of living somewhere else.
Sometimes I imagine alternative realities for myself, like one where I live in LA and live a Weetzie Bat-esq existence, hanging out with surfer dudes on Venice Beach and roller skating along the strip to get cheesy fries at a 50s-revival diner in between writing lush, electrifying young adult fiction.
I think these kind of fantasies are part and parcel of having an overactive imagination.
But they’re just fantasies.
They don’t draw me in and compel me to write endless lists and do research and create action plans and open savings accounts to get me there.
Just like there’s no perfect lover, no city is without its pitfalls. There will always be sacrifice and compromise. But when our hearts know, we find a way to make it work.
So trust it.
There’s a whole world of adventure waiting for you. Home will always be there to return to. If the dream of being an expat is calling to you, answer it. Say yes.
Tell me: where are you dreaming of? I’d love to hear.
Love, wanderlust, & sequin-studded daydreams,
Photograph via Boot Themes. Original source unknown.
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Thank you, Sarah! :)
I would like to go to England and explore the countryside. And other countries, too. These are my dreams. :)
Funny how I saw myself in our post!
I love travelling and I visited London twice and I always felt like I was at home. Nowadays, I’m trying to find a job in London and all the same questions popped up in my mind.
Do I have the skills? Do I know english enough to live in London? Will I… etc, etc… so many questions but in the end it feels right.
It is comforting to know others feel the same as I do now. However I feel this quest is taking too much time and energy and sometimes I only think about giving up… and I’m not a quitter.
I’m itching to travel Europe, to work in coffee shops or bakeries something like that and just let my creativity fun wild while I indulgence in things I know would be good for my soul. I also dream of travelling to America and wondering the mountains and forests, staying in log cabins or visiting the coasts. So many dreams.
I am dreaming of warmer climates, of artists, vagrants, and ocean. Of work that means something, of mountains that inspire breathlessness, and endless coffee shops.
Where ever that place is, is where I want to be.
Dreams are always worth it in the end. Like you say, you’ll find a way if it’s what you want to do.
I don’t see myself settling down in one place, I like to more, I like the constant change of life. I’ve spent to much time on a single path to want to stay still any more.
~K
Hello from a fellow expat! Originally from LA and now living in the wilds of Hampshire (which isn’t that wild, to be honest), I am full on dreaming of London. If I can move 6000 miles from home, I can move 70 to the most awesome city ever. :)