In about 2 weeks I'll be turning 39, and in June Ger will turn 40. We have 2 kids, Mike who will turn 18 in June, and Meaghan who will be 8 in July. Yup - big age difference. I work full time, I attend university at night working on a bachelor's degree in English Literature and French. Gerald also works full time and referee's hockey on the side. We have 2 beautiful dogs, Chorney, a German Shepperd who is almost 13, and Trap, a retired greyhound who will be 5 in April. Filling out the crew is Diego, a barn-cat turned house cat.
Our lives are full. Busy. Tiring. Scheduled.
Anyway. Back to the point I was going to make. I am somewhat of an adventurous spirit. New adventures and experiences get me all excited. I love to be consumed by thinking about something that really turns my crank!
Since the day I met Gerald, I have always said that one of these days I want to move to another country and start a new life. Gerald, is not as adventurous as I am. He's getting better, but he's still a little stuck in his ways. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he didn't experience a lot in his life before me. There was no travelling to other countries, no going for a long drive and getting lost on purpose, no adventure.
I had a much different upbringing. There was a lot of travelling - right across Canada and all over the United States. When I got older I travelled a little more, and after meeting Ger, I did get him out of the country to Cuba and on a Caribbean cruise. Then he won the trip to Mexico, and now loves to travel almost as much as I do.
So back to my desire to move to another country. I had never actually 'picked' a country in the past to move to. I just knew that I wanted to. Once we'd come back from Cancun, I was secretly hooked, but didn't say anything to Ger. I started doing some research on the internet - looking up Mexico, moving, education, schools, you name it. That's when I ran across a few of the blogs here written by people who have been fortunate enough to live my dream.
The other day, I cautiously introduced the topic of moving to Gerald in an email. (We email each other a lot during the day - it's sometimes the only way we get to have a conversation!) I 'planted the seed' let's say. I sent him a link to one of the blogs telling him how interesting it was, and I quickly followed up with another email asking him to just consider moving for one year. To my surprise, he wasn't completely against it, and actually quite open to the idea. (Holy crap! I could hardly believe it!!!!!) Then came the negatives. We can't because.....
This is typical from Gerald. He always sees the negatives and problems before he considers the positives and possibilities. So I asked him to think a little differently, and consider the things we could do to it make happen, instead of thinking about the reasons why we couldn't.
I know he has concerns about things like healthcare, safety, employment, etc, etc, etc, and they're all valid concerns. My concern is turning 70 or 80 and wishing I had done what I'd wanted to all along instead of giving up on a dream. Life is short, you know. And I'm not getting any younger.
My next step was to visit Amazon. I'm a bit of a bookaholic. I love books. So I did a few searches and came up with a few titles on moving to Mexico, and placed my order. Living Abroad in Mexico by Ken Luboff arrived today, and because it was only 2$, Easy Spanish Phrase Book came along with it. I've already started reading Living Abroad and today I told my boss that I wanted to buy a bathing cap, in Spanish. He laughed at me.
Whatever happens, it won't be for awhile. I still have another year before my degree is done, and a year of teacher's college after that. I should teach for a few years before we do anything too, so that we're in a bit better financial situation than we are right now. One concern I have is that my daughter will likely be in her teens by the time we can actually start thinking seriously about actually moving. Will she want to go? Will she be upset and angry? I think the experience would be better than any classroom, but that's just me. What do mom's know anyway, right?
Mike, my son, will be grown and out of the house by then. He thinks I'm nuts for wanting to do this, but I told his that when he wants to come visit mom in sunny and warm Mexico, mom won't seem quite so nuts anymore.
So. Can I make my dream come true? Can I actually pull this off? I want to. Desperately. I don't want to wake up one day and wish I had done this but know that it's too late. The thought breaks my heart. The only thing preventing this would be my husband. I think that once he has some time to think about it, he may just be more on board than I am. Let's hope!
