Okay, I admit it, I've always wanted to live abroad, but never had the actual boldness/guts/follow through to do so.
As much as the idea of living abroad (even if it is just for a short time like a year or two) sounds appealing to me, it is also kind of a scary thought to simply uproot one's way of life completely and move to an entirely new culture. The very idea of living in a country where the spoken language may not be the same as your own and/or the political and religious views are very different than your own, not to mention leaving family and friends behind, can all be daunting (or not) depending on one's personal outlook.
Even though I never lived aboard, I do find it very enjoyable to read about other people's experiences with living in foreign countries. Two of my personal favorite books about living abroad are titled:
Tea and Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village by Karen & Ray Gilden
A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco by Suzanna Clarke
As much as the idea of living abroad (even if it is just for a short time like a year or two) sounds appealing to me, it is also kind of a scary thought to simply uproot one's way of life completely and move to an entirely new culture. The very idea of living in a country where the spoken language may not be the same as your own and/or the political and religious views are very different than your own, not to mention leaving family and friends behind, can all be daunting (or not) depending on one's personal outlook.
Even though I never lived aboard, I do find it very enjoyable to read about other people's experiences with living in foreign countries. Two of my personal favorite books about living abroad are titled:
Tea and Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village by Karen & Ray Gilden
I also came across an article posted on The Week website titled 6 great books about living abroad by Jennifer Steil, which highlights six books that I have yet to read about living abroad.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
When we were traveling in Europe (about 2 weeks), we met an American couple who were living in Spain and traveling around Europe (the Netherlands at the time). I thought it was fascinating, but couldn't imagine doing it. Still can't, actually. ;-) In the last few years I have read 2 books about living in France: http://fhbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-gift-from-brittany-by-marjorie-price.html and http://fhbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-last-time-i-saw-paris-by-lynn-sheene.html and about living in Italy: http://fhbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/under-tuscan-sun-at-home-in-italy-by.html and http://fhbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-thousand-days-in-venice-by-marlena-de.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story!! I look forward to checking out your links!!
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