I am a Londoner born and bred, never lived outside zone 1 until I was an adult (for those non-Londoners that is the most central area – sort of like downtown).
Eight years ago, we moved to France, but unlike most Brits we didn’t buy a house to renovate, we rented. This cost us a small fortune, but also gave us the opportunity to move around and explore.
As it turned out we could not afford to stay in the first place we rented and in fact we hit a bit of a financial crisis. We were forced to move to a small village in Gascony, where everything was cheaper. It’s a beautiful region, but it didn’t suit us as a family. We’re Londoners, we felt isolated and cut off from the world. The people were really great and I made more friends than I had before, but it never felt right.
We didn’t know where to go when we left and in a kind of blind funk we found a house towards the Med and rented it. We only stayed there 18 months before finding our current house.
Looking back over it all this morning, I realise that we have pretty much traversed the length of the Pyrenees from west to east since moving to France. Strangely the place we felt most trapped was Gascony even though it looks and sounds like a perfect idyll.
I think the lesson I have learnt from this is that maybe we will never find our ‘forever’ place, but also that we are all different and that what is freedom for some is a prison for others.
Here are some photos of the amazingly beautiful place we lived, where we never felt settled.
Hi Passing by And Upvoted you :) !
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“I have forgotten my umbrella. ” ====> Friedrich Nietzsche
Thanks @ustd
We bought a small house in the Philippines shortly after I moved here but I was really bad at maintenance. After a couple of years a gas station was built nearby and the house is also a long drive away from downtown Davao. Because of that and some other issues we sold it and have been renting ever since. I don't really plan on buying another house since I am not good at maintenance. That is a huge factor in home ownership!
Absolutely, you have got to find the best solution for you and your family. You have a baby so the last thing you need is the stress of renovations. Also as kids grow up they need different things as well, when our boys were little they loved being in a garden and were happy to play there; now the teenage years are kicking in and they want to be in the town near their friends! As parents we have to adapt our lives all the time.
And sometimes the solution isn't the solution we'd prefer. I wish I was better at property management so that I could invest in a house that I could pass on to our son. But as it stands, I will need to find creative ways to offset not being a homeowner.
Thank you for making family oriented posts here on Steemit!
This post has received a 1.65 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @mirriek.