Up Next

My contract here was initially for two years.  The first year has flown by and is almost up, which means we have to start thinking about what we will do at the end of those two years.  International moves are so exhausting. . .there is so much preplanning and preparing that must be done.  And, there is that small matter of the work thing, and where I will have the ability to transfer to.  So, we've started talking about it, and thinking about what we will do when our time here is up.

One option would be to try to stay here for another 2-3 years.  We like it here.  We have Miss M in a great school, and SB can start there next winter.  The kids would build a stronger base in Spanish.  OUR Spanish would be rock solid if we stayed a few more years.  The local people are lovely.  We have an awesome housekeeper whom the girls adore, and who makes our lives immeasurably easier.  The money is good.  Our apartment is gorgeous.  We live in a great neighborhood.

The downside is that I have itchy feet.  I want to experience someplace new.  I took this job because it offered the opportunity to move frequently.  I hate saying goodbye, but I loooove saying hello.  A new place would be exciting.  

So, I've been looking around at our options.  We could go back to the U.S., but that's definitely not our first choice.  We love traveling and living abroad.  There will come a time, I'm sure, when we are ready for the stability and predictability of the U.S., but right now, we love this life.  So, I've been trying to sort out what the options might be for us abroad.

There is a pretty amazing position in Laos that I would LOVE to go after, but T isn't so sure he wants to live in Asia.  For him, the issue is aging parents and distance from the U.S.  I can't disagree that it's far from the U.S., and after our crazy emergency trip back this past Christmas for my surgery, I have to admit that a part of me is reluctant to be so far from  home.  But, I'm totally intrigued by Southeast Asia.  And when are we going to have the chance again?  

There are a couple of jobs in Europe.  T thinks we should head back there.  There are so many amazing places to travel to that we still haven't managed to hit.  There's really no downside to Europe--it's safe, the schools are good, there are no weird diseases (well, far fewer, anyway).  Well, aside from expense.  It's pretty easy to spend your entire salary on travel in Europe.   

Then, there are a couple of other jobs in Latin America.  I would really love to stay in a Spanish speaking country until the girls have a firm base.  But, the crime rate is kind of tough in some places, or there is substantial civil unrest, or. . .there are poisonous things.  T has a weird hangup about living someplace where there are poisonous snakes and/or scorpions in your yard and/or house.   Go figure. :)  

The problem, at the end of the day, is that there is no "perfect" place.  Every option will inevitably involve some sort of trade-off.   Or maybe I am wrong, and the "perfect" job will just fall into my lap in the next few months.  I can only hope.