the itchy feet… again
Hello fellow TCKs and non-TCKs,
OK, so I’ve got the itchy feet again and I would seriously appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on this matter.
In January it will be two years since I moved to Montreal, and in April I will graduate from university (yup, I started it somewhere else). This, in a way, is great in the sense that it coincides with the time where I am supposed to be entering the “real world.” Wherever I shall end up going (even if it is on a one- or two-year work visa), I will be starting the so-called “real life,” as I won’t be a student anymore; and so, I’ve been thinking of places where eventually I would not mind staying in for good (still, the though of it seems inconceivable :-/ ).
I’ve been thinking and thinking, and then again, I can always stay in Montreal, which is a city a truly love, but really it’s just the weather (the winter, actually) that I don’t think I can deal with for years and years to come (I know, I probably sound really spoiled, but I’ve lived in the sun before and I certainly value that a lot).
Or could it be that in the back of my mind I am just using the winter as an excuse, while on the other hand, I am idealizing the places I am considering to move to, because deep down I just have the itchy feet and need to move? This really puzzles me.
Has anybody been in a similar situation, and even if you haven’t, what can you tell me about this thing I’m going through?
Any feedback is much appreciated. Thank you guys
6 Comments to “the itchy feet… again”
September 28th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Jorge: People who live in cold places tend to fantasize about tropical islands during the long winter months even if they aren’t TCKs. However, I think we tend to take it one step further by realistically thinking about getting ‘the hell outta there’ because we’ve moved before and moving is not such a big deal, whereas people who have lived there all their lives just ‘fantasize’ because they know this place is their ‘home’ (and they think they’re stuck with it for better or for worse).
It’s a free world so if you find great business opportunities elsewhere you can choose to move….or if you like Montreal after all despite its long winters - maybe you might stay.
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September 28th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Hey Ayako
Good point about fantasizing. I guess I’ll just make the decision when the time comes, in the meantime I’ll keep fantasizing. lol. I still got the itchy feet though, despite my liking or not the winter. hehehe.
It makes sense, it will be 2 and a half years. That’s exactly how long I lived in another town just before moving to Montreal.
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September 29th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Question. Why do you have to settle down?
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September 29th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Hey Elizabeth
Well, I guess because I crave stability and some of the things that come with it. I want to build a heritage, and I must be rooted somehow, somewhere to a certain extent to be able to accomplish some of the things I want, I guess.
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September 30th, 2008 at 5:00 am
Jorge: I have a feeling you’re in the process of finding a middle ground that’s acceptable to you. It’s hard for TCKs to establish this sometimes because it’s not like we have precedents giving us nice examples.
What I did, i.e. quit mid-career (since it wasn’t all that great anyway) and move to Spain - is totally wrong by any book and I don’t recommend it to anyone - and I have serious doubts about what I did sometimes - but then I had to find some way to make life more ‘livable’ for ME.
It got to a point where it was: Get the hell outta Japan or die…so, I left. Then I had to find a place where I could live legally, i.e. a place that would give me a residency permit and that place was Spain.
There has got to be a middle ground where we can have some stability without feeling like a pretty bird inside a golden cage, a caged tiger or just some idiot who lost his way inside the sewage system underneath a megalopolis and has no way of finding his way out. I felt like the idiot lost inside a vast network of sewage pipes, by the way.
The question is what is this middle ground - the middle ground where we can be content without ruining our lives financially?
And this would be different for each of us, depending on each person…
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September 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Ayako raised some interesting points.
Knowing where you want to “settle” is also knowing yourself and what you really like. I’m not talking just about weather, but many other things can also be a factor.
And then there is the legal/financial part. You have to be eligible to get a work/residency permit and you have to live in a place where you can afford a good life.
All these things made me decide for Canada (I’m sick of the “latin” culture, I miss the “british-esque” one, and their immigration program was the most accessible means for me to live and work in another country). But it’s a very individual answer.
So my advice to you is: get to know yourself and your options, you will then be able to make a better choice
PS: Hey, maybe you should try Australia, they have lots of sun there
and a nice immigration program.
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