Chapter 19Changes in Latitudes, Changes in AttitudeMaintaining the Bridge between Your Past and Present Lives
MOVING OVERSEAS, AS WE’VE SAID, is a great adventure . . . if you approach it as such. But to be sure, despite all the rewards, it takes a bit of emotional fortitude. After all, it’s not easy to uproot your life and start over in a foreign country.
You’ll have to say good-bye to family members and friends, you’ll probably need to downsize and store some treasured possessions or pass them on to others, and you’ll have what seems like a never-ending checklist of things to do in preparation for your move. Once you get where you’re going, it will be a full-time job to learn the lay of the land in your new community.
So how can you make things easier?
The best advice we can give is to try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Everything will get done, although maybe not in the timeframe you expect. Try to relax and go with the flow.
SAYING “SEE YOU LATER” INSTEAD OF “GOOD-BYE”
People will think you’re crazy for moving overseas, no doubt about it. Family members may react with anger or sadness. If you’re close to your family, the hardest thing you may ever do is to say good-bye to them. But remember, most of the retirement destinations we’ve named in this book are just a short plane ride from the United States—sometimes less time than it takes to fly from the East Coast to the West Coast.
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