I have these dreams, dreams of living abroad.  I’ve mostly done so fleetingly – a few months here, a few months there…  It just hasn’t been enough to satisfy my hunger for immersing myself in another world.  I love the slower pace of life in many European villages.  The land brims with history and meaning and the weather is fantastically real.  None of that 300 days of sunshine per year business.  It’s a charming set of countries, each with a rich culture to share.

Mostly I want to go back to England and live there for another year or two.  There’s something about the quaint village tucked away in a quiet corner of the country that holds an appeal for me.  Actually, it doesn’t even need to be that out of the way.  When I was studying abroad at the University of York, I found the town of York to be a wonderfully refreshing place.  Cobblestone paths meandering throughout the town and twists and turns that left me utterly confused much of the time.  It took a long time to really understand how one road could lead me to a shop that had previously taken me four or five turns to get to.

Though it tended to be colder than I would have preferred in the warmer seasons, the cold seasons were gloriously filled with hot nourishment, scarves, fuzzy socks, and all the trappings of a frigid winter.  It was easy to connect with nature and enjoy life when there was a lake to stroll by (granted, it was man-made), rabbits to spot, a horse in a field who loved carrots and apples…  Beauty was all around me and I was very happy with where I was.  I even had time to cook and try out some dishes I had never made before.  Some Sundays, my flat would get together for a meal of roast meat, steamed veggies, and Yorkshire pudding and gravy.  Oooooh Yorkshire puddings!  How delightfully crisp, yet soft they were, with just the right blend of sweet and savory flavors.

I can imagine a similarly peaceful and satisfying life in Southern France or Switzerland as well.  I could definitely retire to one of those places, but before that, when I’m still young, I want to return and live out a few simple years.  I have shared my desire to live abroad with Panda, who fully supports it.  There’s just one glitch.  This is a life I imagine with him by my side, so I can share these pleasures with him.  Unfortunately, with his chosen career path, he will likely not only be in the U.S. the entire time, but he’ll probably be with the same organization until he retires as well.  Where’s the room for travel and living abroad?  Virtually none, really.

So how do you reconcile that?  Therein lies the dilemma that has been troubling me ever since this desire to live abroad again began to resurface.  And so we shall see what compromises will have to be made over the years.  For now, I have my dream and a stubborn resolve to find a way to satisfy both my wants and his.