Hi - this is so common, and it resonated. Especially this...
"Even after making a few expat friends, there was still a loneliness that never quite went away. Building community takes time anywhere, but when language, culture, and social rhythms are different, that process moves more slowly than we expected."
And the school issues, which were a real struggle for my children.
I live in France where everything is grey most of the year. I know from grey.
There is so much to consider that's hard to imagine before you actually live abroad. In fact - I think a lot of people don't really want to imagine or think about the loneliness - or the endless "tiny-traumas." Good luck to you back home.
Thank you so much! I honestly wish we would have considered Spain instead. But I won’t grow old wondering what the experience would be like because we tried it.
Thanks for sharing! I can definitely relate to everything you've written. Enjoy the Spring 😨🌧️🤣 before you head back to Tuscon, and let us all know how it goes as you settle in! 🍀
I won’t get into the business difficulties here because they aren’t something most people will probably ever experience.
I would love to hear more. Most people who use the DAFT visa seem to be ZZP’ers, often YouTubers; you wrote earlier about the challenges of going the BV route. In other words, you took the entrepreneurial opportunity seriously. Sharing a postmortem on the experience makes a lot of sense if you ask me, and honors the original intent of the DAFT.
I plan on sharing the financial aspects when the dust fully settles. Anything in particular I should include? It’s been costly but at the end of the day I can always make money so I’m less worried about spending money than I am my young daughter’s happiness, education and future. Going back is not an easy decision. We know it’s risky in a lot of ways.
Looking forward to that post. People through out “accepted” tipping points such as 130k/year for when a BV is worth it, but I feel like they over-simplify. Before I make the decision I’d like to come up with a much more detailed model. Anything you can share will be welcome. Thanks in advance!
Hi - this is so common, and it resonated. Especially this...
"Even after making a few expat friends, there was still a loneliness that never quite went away. Building community takes time anywhere, but when language, culture, and social rhythms are different, that process moves more slowly than we expected."
And the school issues, which were a real struggle for my children.
I live in France where everything is grey most of the year. I know from grey.
There is so much to consider that's hard to imagine before you actually live abroad. In fact - I think a lot of people don't really want to imagine or think about the loneliness - or the endless "tiny-traumas." Good luck to you back home.
Thank you so much! I honestly wish we would have considered Spain instead. But I won’t grow old wondering what the experience would be like because we tried it.
Thanks for sharing! I can definitely relate to everything you've written. Enjoy the Spring 😨🌧️🤣 before you head back to Tuscon, and let us all know how it goes as you settle in! 🍀
> like living in a cloud of cigarette smoke
A literal cloud of cigarette smoke?
I won’t get into the business difficulties here because they aren’t something most people will probably ever experience.
I would love to hear more. Most people who use the DAFT visa seem to be ZZP’ers, often YouTubers; you wrote earlier about the challenges of going the BV route. In other words, you took the entrepreneurial opportunity seriously. Sharing a postmortem on the experience makes a lot of sense if you ask me, and honors the original intent of the DAFT.
I plan on sharing the financial aspects when the dust fully settles. Anything in particular I should include? It’s been costly but at the end of the day I can always make money so I’m less worried about spending money than I am my young daughter’s happiness, education and future. Going back is not an easy decision. We know it’s risky in a lot of ways.
Looking forward to that post. People through out “accepted” tipping points such as 130k/year for when a BV is worth it, but I feel like they over-simplify. Before I make the decision I’d like to come up with a much more detailed model. Anything you can share will be welcome. Thanks in advance!