Hi Meltingpot Readers,
Real talk, I’m exhausted. Like mentally and physically spent. Why? Because I just finished the manuscript for a new book. It was a book collaboration with an Olympic athlete and it was a lot of work. This was the first time I’ve ever tackled a project like that and it was exciting, but the pace of production was brutal. Last night I hit send on the final manuscript, so I’m ready to reclaim my time. Only, dear readers, I think you know, I have three kids, two teenage boys and a babygirl who is now in first grade. My kids are not exactly putting their teen drama and first-grade shenanigans on hold so that I can catch my breath. Thus the aforementioned exhaustion. Did I mention that I have a full-time job as well, teaching college students? Okay, so, I’m busy. You get it. But it’s not just my manic personal and professional life that has me exhausted, it’s the unrelenting amount of crazy that continues to rain down on this country. From mass shootings to a president who is unfit to govern a roach motel, I am done.
So, what do I do when life gets to be too much? I start fantasizing about selling all of my worldly possessions and moving to another country? I start binge watching House Hunters International and plotting my escape. So, I’ve narrowed down my destinations to these five locales. Some of these make sense and some of them are a little bit out there, but I don’t put a limit on my fantasies.
So, without further ado, here are the places I am planning to move to as soon as possible (if life were really like that).
1. Spain. Big duh. This is my most practical fantasy. It’s so practical, it probably doesn’t even qualify as a fantasy. El esposo is from Spain, we all speak Spanish and except for me, everybody in this family can be a citizen of Spain. The fantasy part of this fantasy is that I don’t really want to relocate to Andalusia where el esposo‘s roots and family are, I want to go to Valencia. Even though I’ve never been to this eastern city, as Spain’s third largest city, it has captured my imagination because it offers the perfect combination of urban life, beach and near perfect weather all year round.
2. Lisbon, Portugal. I love Lisbon. I have always loved Lisbon. It is the city that had me at hello when I first visited as a college student back in 1992. More diverse than Spain, I always felt Lisbon was a more comfortable place to be for Black and Brown people. Less staring and less catcalls on the street based on one’s darker hue. And then there’s the food, the weather and the pastel colored buildings. I don’t speak Portuguese but I’m willing to learn in order to live here.
3. Costa Rica. I’ve never been to Costa Rica but seriously, every other episode of House Hunters International has a family looking to “escape the rat race” moving to Costa Rica and it makes me think they must be on to something. And then there’s this Black woman of Costa Rican descent, Natasha Gordon-Chipembere, who decided to leave the United States so she could raise her Black children in a safer more affirming environment. She is also a writer and leads writing retreats for Black women. Her words and journey inspire me. Costa Rica sounds soothing for my soul.
5. London. I’ve been to London twice, once in 2014 and then in 2017. I was teaching and leading our summer student group from Temple. The thing is, while I was there, the weather was nice, I lived in the Royal Borough of Kensington, which is where William and Kate live, and I was living off a generous stipend from my employer. Therefore, I was able to enjoy the diversity of the city, the great restaurants, cafes and shopping and the plentiful parks and green spaces. In other words, my time in London was not realistic, so that’s why I have this city on my fantasy list. In my fantasy, London is always sunny, I live in a spacious flat in a pretty part of the city and I only have to work four days a week, leaving me plenty of time to frolic and play in this amazing global metropolis. (Of course there’s Brexit, and Theresa May and looming economic instability, so London has a very precarious position on this list.)
Okay, so there’s my fantasy list. Let me know what you think. Also, are any of you planning an escape, permanent or temporary? What places are on your list? And if you’ve already managed to escape, how’d you do it? I’m listening and taking notes.
Peace!
