Thinking about fleeing the country, are ya?

Sorry not sorry for the disappearing act, but I have been equal parts great and not fucking great. To get the sad things out of the way- it was the one year anniversary of Chunk dying last week. I got my period on the same day and BMO started acting very sick. To add insult to injury, Bowie the cat really hasn’t been well since not long after we got here. She was getting old and skinny before we moved, and then she got actually sick and hasn’t fully recovered. So I’m filled with animal friend mortality morbs. Bobbi the bob tailed cat down at the graveyard is doing great though, if you were wondering.

Also I can’t even with what is going on in America right now. I had every hope and intention of trying to visit this year, but I’m honestly scared to even think about going there right now. I have had so many friends and acquaintances asking me for advice on getting out of the country. I do not have any specific knowledge about the visa process for any country other than Greece, but I did have a friend send me a list of questions I’m gladly going to answer for her and anyone else that might find them helpful.

Quick positive aside, I have been getting out in nature multiple times a week lately, and it is really healing my spirit. I’ve taken so many pictures and planned on posting about my walks, but I just haven’t had the focused brain power to do it. I’m going to throw in some random “life lately” photos in this post, and hopefully I’ll be able to better explain my adventures soon!

That time last week when there was a snail in my broccoli. He got to keep his floret when he moved outside.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when leaving the U.S.?

To me the biggest challenge was getting our house sold, which those who follow along know did not know well. Choosing what items we were going to keep versus what to sell/donate/gift was difficult for a sentimental girl like me. I definitely have a regret or two about some things that were not chosen to make the move. The biggest emotional challenge was saying goodbye to the people I love. I really was living my best American life before we moved. I am rich in incredible American friends, and leaving them and my family really hurt. It still does, and I am constantly encouraging them to try to come visit!

Glommo would like you to join him for a glass of bagged wine and some leftover roast beef poutine.

Ok, onto those questions!

What do you wish you had known before making the move?

Nothing really applicable to everyone. I wish I knew that our “furnished” house was barely furnished. I didn’t realize that we’d need to buy sheets and towels and dishes on the day we moved in. I was so tired and had to make decisions right away. Our house wasn’t ready when we got here, and had I known, I would have been shopping during the week we stayed at an air bnb in the city.

How did you decide on your new location?

We had been to Greece twice and absolutely loved it. The people are nice. The food is fresh and incredible. The landscape is beautiful any place you go. Joshua looked into the process of moving here as a wild dream. The dream got less wild very quickly. We chose the island of Crete because we loved the idea of living on an island, but we wanted a larger one that is mostly self sufficient, meaning that they produce all the necessities. Some of the smaller islands have to ship a lot of things in, which makes them more expensive.

Were there any factors you initially overlooked?

We knew that the systems here work slowly, but we had no idea how slowly. Our house buying situation was a bit of a special case in that it was one property being split between four buyers. I definitely takes a while in pretty much every situation here, but we weren’t prepared to still not own this house when we got here, which was approximately 14 months after we signed paperwork and made a down payment. It took a couple more months!

We also didn’t realize that we couldn’t buy a car until we had our visa, which we couldn’t even apply for until after the house sale went through. We rented a car for seven months.

My friend Paulina’s wiener beagle Frankie.

How did you navigate visas, residency, and work permits? I.E did you hire an immigration lawyer?

Yes, we did all of this through our incredible lawyer here on Crete. She is amazing and still is our go to source for help. She has power of attorney and access to our accounts, so she handled everything for the car buying process for us as well! If you don’t speak the language, having a lawyer you trust is key. I don’t know about other countries, but it is very affordable here.

Our visa type means we cannot actually work here. My husband works from home at his American based business. I don’t really need to work, luckily, so I’m good. But if I wanted to, I’d need to find an American work from home job. Our son is trying to find a job on the American navy base.

Mossy rock wall in the “enchanted forest”.

What was the hardest part of the transition—logistics, cultural adjustment, finances, or something else?

I was mostly worried about making friends, but I worked at the front desk of a hotel before we moved and luckily gained a lot of skills when it comes to talking to strangers! After eight and a half months, I have a very rich social life!

Also, while Greece is technically a first world country, it doesn’t necessarily feel like it, especially where we live. Sometimes we don’t have water for days. You can’t flush your toilet paper. Sometimes the dumpsters are surrounded by mountains of trash. When hundreds of thousands of tourists come, the infrastructure is stressed to the max. It has taken some getting used to for sure, but these things are just part of my new life now.

Learning Greek isn’t easy either. It’s starting to make more sense to me, and I’m practicing and learning new words with my Greek friends at the bar.

Bracelet I made at jewelry class! I made all of it aside from the jump rings. Those hearts used to be plain ass wire!!

If you could do it again, would you choose the same place, or would you consider another country?

I would absolutely move to Greece. I can’t imagine living anywhere else right now. As long as someone in your family has a very stable work from home job or you have some kind of good income source, you’ll do great here. I have literally never been so at peace in my life. The motto here is “Siga Siga”, which translates to “slowly, slowly”, and once I got used to it, there’s no going back. Can you imagine living life without being in a rush? Take your time. Take a nap. Show up late. Invent your own parking spot!

By some ancient Venetian wells built in the 15-16th century.

Any red flags to consider when choosing an international destination?

We didn’t really consider other locations, so I don’t know. I’ve explained some of the potential drawbacks of where we live specifically, but I don’t know otherwise.

I hope this helps anyone trying to make some big life decisions. I haven’t regretted our decision to move at all. Anyone who doesn’t suck is welcome to come visit to see if Crete feels like their new home as well. I’ll gladly show you around my favorite beaches and take you on some lovely walks.

And just to end on a positive note, until yesterday the weather has been gorgeous. I’ve been finding so much peace out in nature. I’ve worked my way up to taking three plus mile walks, sometimes on a road, sometimes on a trail, sometimes where my heart leads me. There’s always a beautiful surprise around the corner.