move to europe

I’ve lived in Italy for a very short time…it wasn’t long enough. My Dad was born there and my Mom is from Holland. I’m so curious about my Italian culture and history. I want to learn everything about it but especially long to connect again. When I was in Italy, little things, like everyone pronouncing my last name right was a feeling I’ve never felt. I finally belonged and the italian in me was OK. Finally my ethnicity was not shameful, but every bit normal—even though I was a “half-breed”. The experience was really beautiful and pricelss. Because…

The Dutch side of me is something I deeply resent. My dutch Grandma just died and I didn’t even go to the funeral. I resent everything Dutch. I was raised on the saying by my mom’s massive dutch extended family, who all married dutch people, “If ya ain’t dutch, you ain’t much”....and that is exactly how my 5 siblings and myself were treated—being the half breeds we are. My Dad was treated like a leper and my approval-seeking mom was ostracized…yet she insisted that we went to a dutch school and church. Then of course we couldn’t miss the obligatory & dreaded after church, weekly visit to grandma’s with the whole dutch extended family there.

But I met a 21 year old MAN from Holland that I like (which I never thought I’d let myself do)....but marriage material? I don’t know about that. But it sure would be nice to see the dutch side of me in a different light and he could help me with that. Now that my grandma is dead I’m ready to try a new experience with all things dutch.

Additionally…I want a new experience with a new man.

I’m a 28 year GIRL—I’m more comfortable hanging out people in their early 20’s than people my age…I’ve had a long-distance relationship with my 27 yr old “college sweetheart” from the U.S. where I went to school. He’s a typical American…work, work, work! I admire it about him, but emotionally he’s too restrained. European’s are not like that. Even Canadians aren’t that wound up. I’ve dated Canadian and American men here and there while on “breaks” from my American boy, but I’m not feelin’ them. Although I’ve never given anyone a truly fair shot, b/c my heart has always been with my college love.

I moved back to Canada after getting my degree and spending some time in Italy. Nothing was the same when I got home…but I can’t move back to the U.S. b/c my work visa expired. However, I CAN get my Italian citizenship and work anywhere in Europe…So why not? OR…am I just running? I have enormous student loans that are such a prison, unless you have 100k in student loans, it’s hard to understand the gravity of the toll it takes on your every day living.

Another factor is what can I do with my education? So far in Canada, I’ve been from one job to the next. I never did achieve what I set out to do—going into the niche field of psychology and law and their interplay with one another. That require more schooling and more loans. With a double major in Political science and Philosophy and a minor in Psychology from the U.S. coupled with my ultra conservative views (Glenn Beck is the only other American I’d marry;) I am most qualified to work in the U.S., as poly sci is really the only applied type major I took. Psychology could have been, but I only minored in it.

However, my Holland man has reassured me that I’ll be able to find some “radical underground right-winged political group” to join so that I can at least be me. Though I want to enter into the world of psychology and law, politics is a serious passion for me. (I know this is a tree hugger site, so I took a risk telling y’all about my political views. Please don’t hold it against me:)

If someone took the time to read all this, thank-you so much!

I really do want to move to somewhere in Europe. I don’t really have a specific place in mind because I just can’t bring myself to choose one place. I think I’m just going to have to live in a few different countries over a longer period of time.

Either to Paris- though expensive, Berlin or somewhere in the Netherlands.

Hey—I’d noticed some people writing about this saying that communication was/is hard since calling your family & friends is expensive.
A little tip that came in really handy for me while I was in France for 5 months: Magic Jack.
Go google it.
It’s a little jack you plug into your computer and it uses the internet as a way for calling. You can plug any house phone into it and call any number in the United States (from anywhere in the world) for free. I used this all the time while I was in France without problem. Sometimes there’s static or a little cutting in and out, but no worse than a cell phone can be when you’re in bad range.
So, when I went, I bought a really cheap $10 phone and this jack and used it to call my family and closest friends every Sunday and any other time I needed/wanted.
The jack is small. Put your ring and pinky fingers together. From base to tip of your fingers is about the size of the jack. I don’t know about price as my dad got it for me, but it’s definitely worth it when you consider how much you’ll save on calling cards or phone bills. And you can use it as a landline if you return to the states.
I simply loved this and advise it for any Americans going abroad.
Best wishes

When I added this goal ages ago, this event seemed very distant in the future.
I half-disbelieved that it would happen.
And now….I don’t know how I couldn’t come to live in Europe sooner or later.
I think I will be moving in May.

i want to move to Amsterdam, or any other city that has lots of incredible choices and people, and maybe a college, too.

Worth the experience, but not yet all I’d hoped it would be, and being away from everyone I love is hard, especially with how epensive phone calls are.

I forget sometimes how powerful my students can be. My struggling seniors were reading “I will arise and go to Innisfree”, discussing the repetition of the title within the poem. We eventually agreed it’s because he’s hesitant to give up everything and go, but he’ll think of the cabin he might build and the lake lapping forever. I likened it to my wanting to move to Europe.

So, a student pipes in…”You should go.”

“Yes,” I respond, “but I’ll be giving up everything—my job, my home, my friends, my money….”

“But,” he responded, “you may end up loving Europe more than here. And you could rent your house. And your friends can visit.”

It was annoying…a 17 year old kid had better insight into my happiness than I did. And the worst part?

He’s right.

Game (back) on.

move to england
buy a bmw/mercedes
become a doctor
travel the country and have lots of sex/go clubbing

I just reserved my Vacation time from work. My family and I will travel to Spain In the begining of July. They are going to help me scope out the country and decide where I might like to Live.. They are so great! I hope 10 days is enough to make a decision.. Mabye I wont come back!