Is this it? Every time we settle down somewhere for a longer period of time we are so excited. Excited to get a period of normalcy, to settle into a routine, to have a kitchen so we can have our Saturday bake mornings (cakes, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies…), relax, watch moves, unpack and not worry about what’s next for a bit. The longer this bit can be extended to, the better we always say. We experimentally imagine ourselves living there for longer, settling down, a year, or even two. Maybe our son will try out the local experimental expat school? Become trilingual, make friends from all over?  The school sounds so good on their website. We decide to check it ot, view a coupe of long term lets and look at what else there is to from a logistical viewpoint.

This honey moon doesn’t last long. Initially, we eagerly explore every new place, overly excited like kids, we chat with the locals, walk all over town the first few days, eat the food, check out the shops, go for long walks. Soak it all in. Try all the local dishes, pastries ice creams. We splurge and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. I imagine, just like regular holiday goers do. The ones who go for a forth night or so.

Then tedium sets in. We start questioning everything, Is this it? Maybe not tedium, but a longing for, well for more. The traffic sucks. The school was more pseudo than science, meaning extremely alternative, to the point that what they teach plain is not true, it is not science and nothing we want to expose our son to. The food is still lovely, but getting monotonous. The bugs are killing us, practically surviving off of me alone. I am dotted with bites, itchy ones. There is not much to do on a daily basis. We have walked all over town. Many times. Sure there are lots of day trips and over night trips, but where are the playgrounds, the friends, the very things that makes one want to stay?

This happened in Ubud, in Hoi An, in Thailand. We enjoyed all these places immensely But we just could not fathom longer stays, a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months, sure. Then what? We have seen it all. We do not do yoga. We are not into scented candles and incense. We are not into homeopathy, organic weird drinks and alternative mumbo jumbo. So now what?

We are still on he look out for our utopia. Our place to settle for longer. So many places have some of what we desire, so many fall short. Our wants are unrealistic. We are perhaps simply spoiled. Or, is it maybe just that we deep down want to keep moving? Experience more, see more, taste more, rather than settle down? Not so deep down even, we are ready to move on, to travel again. the planning has just begun. The anticipatory, exciting, adventurous planning. Where to next?  After all, we can always come back.