Very interesting story! I love how you acknowledged privileges that many of us nomads have, such as able-bodiedness and strong passports. It's so important to be aware of this! So glad I found your Substack!
I had to read it aloud to my husband. He stopped me several times to read a sentence again and discuss it. It made for an excellent start to our day, broken down in the back corner of a muddy truck stop, beginning our third day of awaiting truck parts and a mechanic, after a chaotic night of severe thunderstorms. Indeed, we are homeless by choice, and our kind of travel is a privilege.
Daniel and I now stay on a sailboat and experience what it’s like to live in a small space such as a van. It’s not easy! And we, too, are touched by the weather so much more than usual. We keep saying: this is interesting. Even when it’s not exactly fun. I hope your van drives soon again.
I know that one day health will force us to stop and since I so love living this way, I want to keep going as long as possible. So right now I'm not even sure the perfect place would tempt me to stop.
My husband and I have been expats for decades, and we’ve come to believe there are “settlers” and “pioneers”, perhaps a very American reference, but it works. We are pioneers, happy to stay in one spot for a time, but always knowing the world is out there waiting for us. That doesn’t mean we don’t carry a sense of home with us, it means home is wherever we are. think you and I may be kindred spirits. I’m enjoying you work, thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for reading and nice meeting you! We are kindred spirits in the sense that we carry our home with us and enjoy being pioneers, that's for sure. Where do you live at the moment?
It was an edifying read. It’s fascinating to compare and contrast writing as an exile with writing as a nomad. Both seem to require the ability to find mental space amid the chaos of constant change in order to process creative ideas. Often, it seems that while experience fuels the mind, a sense of peace or continuity is needed to fully process that experience and transform it into creation.
Yes, you express it very elegantly. Experience is the fuel but calmness is needed for reflection and for turning the experience into something that will last.
I LOVE this post. The decision to become a nomad--and finding yourselves, as a couple, well-suited for it. The shifting mindset. Happily getting stuck in Vietnam. Writing as a home. The getting rid of the stuff. I love all of it because I relate. And I am inspired and encouraged. I am so glad to have found your writing as we are still early in our launch as nomads. We have been planning and working and testing the waters for three years now, but only just launched as full-timers with no rooted home a few months ago. Thanks for writing. I am following along. Perhaps someday our physical paths will cross. 💜
Thank you! And I guess I’m telling you and others indeed: Yes, it’s possible. As long as you stay flexible and adapt to whatever the circumstances happen to be at that time. Welcome to the nomad world and yes to meeting in real life when possible.
Very interesting story! I love how you acknowledged privileges that many of us nomads have, such as able-bodiedness and strong passports. It's so important to be aware of this! So glad I found your Substack!
Thanks, Caterina! I’m always glad to discover new nomad/expats here. We all have things in common and we each have a unique story.
I had to read it aloud to my husband. He stopped me several times to read a sentence again and discuss it. It made for an excellent start to our day, broken down in the back corner of a muddy truck stop, beginning our third day of awaiting truck parts and a mechanic, after a chaotic night of severe thunderstorms. Indeed, we are homeless by choice, and our kind of travel is a privilege.
Daniel and I now stay on a sailboat and experience what it’s like to live in a small space such as a van. It’s not easy! And we, too, are touched by the weather so much more than usual. We keep saying: this is interesting. Even when it’s not exactly fun. I hope your van drives soon again.
Indeed. It is all interesting, and there is something to learn from every person, every circumstance along the journey. 💜
It is just another life^^
And that’s true as well!
Glad you found your way to a nomadic life that is suiting you so well!
Sometimes I think we, too, cannot find a place we both find ideal for settling, so we just keep roaming that globe...
I know that one day health will force us to stop and since I so love living this way, I want to keep going as long as possible. So right now I'm not even sure the perfect place would tempt me to stop.
Daniel feels the same. (He’s a little older than me.) We are very grateful for our health.
My husband and I have been expats for decades, and we’ve come to believe there are “settlers” and “pioneers”, perhaps a very American reference, but it works. We are pioneers, happy to stay in one spot for a time, but always knowing the world is out there waiting for us. That doesn’t mean we don’t carry a sense of home with us, it means home is wherever we are. think you and I may be kindred spirits. I’m enjoying you work, thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for reading and nice meeting you! We are kindred spirits in the sense that we carry our home with us and enjoy being pioneers, that's for sure. Where do you live at the moment?
Loved this Claire. I think I may have known part of it, but not all. Love that title - Paris or Nowhere...enjoy your trip back to Japan.
Thanks, Jeanine! Back to Japan is in spirit only for now, in the newsletter, but it will be a delightful journey regardless.
It was an edifying read. It’s fascinating to compare and contrast writing as an exile with writing as a nomad. Both seem to require the ability to find mental space amid the chaos of constant change in order to process creative ideas. Often, it seems that while experience fuels the mind, a sense of peace or continuity is needed to fully process that experience and transform it into creation.
Yes, you express it very elegantly. Experience is the fuel but calmness is needed for reflection and for turning the experience into something that will last.
I LOVE this post. The decision to become a nomad--and finding yourselves, as a couple, well-suited for it. The shifting mindset. Happily getting stuck in Vietnam. Writing as a home. The getting rid of the stuff. I love all of it because I relate. And I am inspired and encouraged. I am so glad to have found your writing as we are still early in our launch as nomads. We have been planning and working and testing the waters for three years now, but only just launched as full-timers with no rooted home a few months ago. Thanks for writing. I am following along. Perhaps someday our physical paths will cross. 💜
Thank you! And I guess I’m telling you and others indeed: Yes, it’s possible. As long as you stay flexible and adapt to whatever the circumstances happen to be at that time. Welcome to the nomad world and yes to meeting in real life when possible.
We are definitely enrolled in an intensive course on flexibility right now!