Have you ever thought about moving to a foreign country? What were your reasons?

That’s interesting.  Was immigration easy or difficult moving from a European Union state to a European Union applicant state?  Also, something I’m curious about, do you think Flanders and Wallonia will go their separate ways?  If they do, what happens to Brussels?


This post was edited by Livvie at February 20, 2023 11:25 AM MST

In and of itself, the transition was simple. I should add that I have roots in neighboring Bosnia (which didn't simplify the process but did speed it up), and already spoke the language. Now, arranging the move, driving the 2000km for a third time in quick succession, building the house, spending the first four months in a dilapidated one... all that was going to be complicated either way, haha. Yet I look back on it fondly. 

It's been a very long time since I've heard anything at all about Flemish or Walloon independence. I don't think they know what they would've done with Brussels! It has more of a French-language identity anyhow; perhaps Antwerp was meant to be the capital of Flanders. Antwerp, my place of birth, is a place I do not look back on very fondly, despite many friends and some family there. All in all, Belgian politicians must have realized that small is tiny enough.

What sort of wildlife do you encounter there, living in a remote location? 

So glad your mother was able to be supportive. I imagine it wasn't easy for her!

Just about all kinds you'd expect in the woods, orchards, and fields, although it's not quite so remote that there would be wolves, bears or boar (you'd find those in the surrounding mountains). Hawks, owls, woodpeckers, pheasants; mostly harmless snakes and ticks; few rabbits, but too many foxes. 

My dog, though always unleashed, is no more a hunter than I am - he'll sniff out the occassional mouse when we go running. Haven't seen any weasels in a long time, nor any living badgers at all, but they leave their tracks, especially in the snow. There isn't any one large body of water nearby (two artificial lakes in the wider area, one of them in an abandoned quarry), yet I couldn't tell you how many brooks, streams, or marshes. Therefore, frog concerts and heron fly-bys. There's a squirrel I see from my window on a daily basis around this time; or, rather, I thought it was always the same until I saw three of them at once...

But I wanted to finish with this: deer. Such graceful creatures. They seem like far too easy targets for hunters (one of them kept staring at me for minutes, while I debated whether I should scare it on purpose), yet it's spectacular to be caught off-guard by them and see them hop-run. They come pretty close to the house, too:



You may have deduced that I really like all these animals too...

And thanks - it's probably still not easy on my mother, but we're in touch often and spend weeks together over the summer. I might not have moved had she not given birth to a recent, cuter version of me.

Wolves, bears and boars, oh my! How far are the surrounding mountains? I saw wild boar for first time earlier this year. Quite thrilling for me. Not as much as seeing wild bears, but still it was very cool. I've never seen a wolf in the wild but had a very close encounter with a coyote a few years ago. I see them on occasion, but usually just a glimpse. 

I saw a field full of deer a couple of weeks ago. I'd never seen so many together. I was driving, and I had to just creep along because they were running in front of my car. I have them in my backyard daily, but usually only 2 or 3 at once. 

We have an abundance of rabbits... we need more foxes! Not that I don't love the rabbits. Sometimes they take dust baths and I've seen them do their hopping around each other mating ritual a couple of times, which is cool. But I'd love to be able to watch foxes like that. I've seen them a few times, but mostly just a glimpse, like the coyotes. 

Thanks for sharing all of this! 

How do you feel about Vegemite?  I don’t think you could move there and be allowed to hate Vegemite.  It gets a bad rap from Americans, but I tried it and didn’t see anything wrong with it.

If you want to move to Italy, they have a program to move there if you want to live in an old house and maintain it.  It’s for parts of the country that are losing population.

I've heard about that program.  They are looking for young people not oldsters like me.

My Bff really dislikes Vegemite so I'll have to stay far away from it. 

Just spread a really thin layer of Vegemite on a piece of toast and he’ll never suspect a thing.  It’s okay, all of the Aussies are doing it. 

I'm not the sneaky type. lol

If you really are an oldster (I never imagined you to be that old), I think Italy has a retirement visa.  It could be something to think about when you become a real oldster.

I am that old.  Old age has a purpose; if we remained young and vibrant we would never want to leave this world.  When you get old and things begin to fall apart, you get to the point where you just say enough is enough.  Living with pain every single day, never being able to escape it completely, takes it's toll. Old age is not for the faint of heart.  

How’s your Welsh?

Wales is also home to this road:

I live on a farm so I’m not a city girl myself.  I love to visit cities, but that’s about it.  I think I could live in a city and still be happy, but definitely not the suburbs.  Suburban America seems like a bland, sterile, disconnected way of living to me.

I’m not sure which European country I would choose based on my ancestry, but England would be a contender based on the fact that my maiden name means an English person or someone from England.  Some of my dad’s ancestors came from England and settled in Massachusetts Bay Province (present-day Maine), so that part of my family predates the USA.

I understand the feeling of not belonging because while I didn’t even exist at the time and I had no say in the matter, there’s just no getting around the history of what European colonists, and later US administrations did to the indigenous people.  We have some people in this country, usually what we call conservatives here (but not all of them) who try to excuse it, but the history’s always going to be there. This post was edited by Livvie at May 7, 2023 3:46 PM MDT

I never seriously considered moving abroad, just thought about it.  Is there a different state where you thought about moving?  I like my own state, but if I had to move, my first choice would be Colorado.  My second choice would be California (the middle of the state, somewhere near Fresno).

California is or was a great place to live, I would choose Santa Barbara.

 

  That’s much closer to San Diego than where you are now, but in relation to the state of California, it’s pretty far from San Diego. 

~

Not real fond of San Diego although I haven't been there for at least 30 years. 

My husband wanted to move to San Antonio TX, better weather (he hates the cold winters) and nice people. I told him not unless he can convince the kids to move as well. So we are staying put.