M is for Move Abroad (Again)

I really, really love the idea of being an Expatriate.  I have always been fascinated by those who have made another country their own. I considered myself an expat the whole time I lived in Chile and Honduras, but I questioned it. Could I really be an expat if I always knew I would be returning to the place I originally called home?  It felt a bit like cheating.

I think I’ve finally come to terms with it. I am pretty sure I will always call The United States home, no matter where it is I live.  I am just too patriotic and there are just too many creature comforts I can’t live without for too long like ice, Campbell’s Tomato Soup and the simple conveniences that come with being in a country you spent the majority of your life and where you speak the language.  As a former expat, I can tell you, nothing compares to being able to order a hamburger, no mayo, extra pickles, medium rare and a fountain coke with lots of ice and getting exactly that.  It’s the little things.

I’ve learned I don’t need to be a long term expat, but I would like to move abroad again for a year or two, or longer if I love it. I like the idea of being open to whatever comes.  I imagine moving to the Middle East. ESL teachers get paid ridiculously well there which would fund all of my travels around the Middle East. I imagine staying at least until I visited every country in the Middle East. I’m not sure I would ever see these countries otherwise and if I am going to visit all 196 countries, this is the best way to do.

My preferred method of travel has always been to move abroad and then visit all of the surrounding countries while living wherever it is I am.  It is cheaper and easier and I can make money along the way.  I visited every country in Central America, except Belize, while I lived in Honduras, and while living in Chile I managed to visit Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Antarctica.  I will do the same in whatever Middle Eastern country I land in, all while making more money than I’ve ever made!