I consider myself a minimalist. I don’t understand how one can quit a job without knowing what to do next. Where the money will come from. Those of you who have settled in Portugal or wherever, are you working or living off savings? What do you do about healthcare?
I’m just about to do this. I have no money, hoping the money I get from selling my car will sustain me long enough. Burnt out, exhausted and overwhelmed and just packing up and seeing what happens. Have a flight to UK and then to Thailand. See where to from there.
I quit my life in 2004. Twenty years ago. Turns out everything I was running from is still here. How about that. Turns out geography don't enter into it.
Hey Anne, I am a Mexican academic (a sociologist of migration). I did my PhD in the UK and I knew that this was my place too! My soul feels content and happy here. If you do end up going to the University of East Anglia feel free to contact me, I am a lecturer at the University of Essex (which also has good writing programs) and I would love to show you around. I hope you can stay here. Here is my staff profile with my email in case you want to email: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/DIAZD50708/alejandra-diaz-de-leon
This was a beautiful read, Anne. I hope Plan C works out, though I believe whatever works best is in store for you.
I'm in a 9 to 5 with what can at times be similar work conditions. I don't have kids, but finding time for creative pursuits has been challenging. More than time, I think it's about the energy and so much of it is influenced by the people and conversations that surround us as writers. Finding a like-minded group over virtual hang-outs, the writing of others (like yours!), and events, has been encouraging and stimulating. :)
Wishing you luck Anne and following your journey with curiosity and hope! I’m one of those burned-out academics, still in the system and so tired of it. I hope to make writing my second act!
I’ve had similar experiences with travel and life, and I’m currently creating a new path and chapter. I feel that life is always a puzzle, that’s the beauty of it for me, moving from edges to clusters of colours and patterns. Sometimes the hardest part to figure out is exactly what it is that we want and being open enough to realize and remember and believe that we can create a life of both/and.❤️
Hi Anne. I loved your post. I too threw my life in in the US and moved to Berlin. I was mid divorce and broke and no idea where my life was going. I just knew that chasing my dreams in America nearly killed me.
But they weren’t my dreams. They were the ones everyone else told me to follow.
So I threw out all those scripts and started to write my own. I wrote a book HOW TO BURN A RAINBOW. I travelled. I started freelancing in advertising.
And so it went for 6 years. Now the book published and a speaking a career opened up for me. Never would have imagined any of this at the start.
Just keep going. It all makes sense in retrospect.
Because you are living while you’re alive. We weren’t made from stardust to return emails.
Oh and a simple recipe.
One clove garlic / three small anchovies / olive oil / salt / pepper / parsley / breadcrumbs
Put the olive oil in the pan and just warm it. Let the anchovies melt. This is about 7 minutes. Throw the garlic crushed in for 3 minutes. Put this on fresh cooked spaghetti with a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Throw on the parsley not too much. Mix. Season to taste. Then put 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs on it (the chunkier kind)
Voila! Served with some roasted veges if you want more to the meal. But that recipe is a winner. Takes 15 minutes.
I turned 40 last year and experiencing some mid life transition. Being laidoff catapulted this bigger question about what I want my life to look like for the next half. This post is inspiring. To be transparent I’m also in limbo about my marriage, my career, and the trajectory of my life. I’m still figuring it out as I go through my day to day but sharing to let you know own you’re not alone.
Thanks, Anne. I love reading about "alternative" lifestyles. I've always been curious about living in Europe, specifically Italy. I moved to the most remote of the Cayman Islands back in 2015, for 3 years. I moved back to the U.S., moved again to a different Cayman island...My friends said they wish they'd have had the courage and that they had dreams of leaving their predicatable lives. I then moved to live on a citrus farm in Portugal. That was tough! But memorable. Anyway! I believe I have about one more big, abroad move left in me, as a sixty-something, adventurous woman. I had your post pinned and am happy I finally got to read it! Best of luck to you.
Thanks for sharing so much. The thing that I wonder about most is how much money you had to start this endeavor? It seems very unattainable quit a job and live traveling around another continent without quite a savings built up. Is that something you had and would be willing to share ballpark figures about?
Thank you for touching on the elephant in my life at this stage: academic institutions that feel it’s ok to forego raises and other necessary payments for faculty. I have struggled with this for a few years; I kept fantasizing that things would change. The change came from me: I left my private university to teach at a state college that can afford raises, bonuses, professional development, and other benefits.
I’m impressed with your honesty and fortitude. Great change comes with great cost, but you have definitely changed your life for the better. Best of luck as you figure out your next plans!
Your story and post is so relatable! I never went into the professional world of academia or corporate living because I sensed that it would be too much for me, and saw how the hustle lifestyles were making others sick. My partner and I lived nomad life for years until we could afford to buy a camper and a truck to live in full time. We don’t have a home anywhere, but we can move around as we wish as long as we can find work. Traveling is exciting and adventurous and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Sometimes though I wish we could have a cute cottage somewhere to live our lives, but with today’s prices and economy it’s nearly impossible for a couple like us to do that, even owning our own trades business and working PT jobs.
Gosh! Thanks so much for this!
I consider myself a minimalist. I don’t understand how one can quit a job without knowing what to do next. Where the money will come from. Those of you who have settled in Portugal or wherever, are you working or living off savings? What do you do about healthcare?
I’m just about to do this. I have no money, hoping the money I get from selling my car will sustain me long enough. Burnt out, exhausted and overwhelmed and just packing up and seeing what happens. Have a flight to UK and then to Thailand. See where to from there.
I quit my life in 2004. Twenty years ago. Turns out everything I was running from is still here. How about that. Turns out geography don't enter into it.
Hey Anne, I am a Mexican academic (a sociologist of migration). I did my PhD in the UK and I knew that this was my place too! My soul feels content and happy here. If you do end up going to the University of East Anglia feel free to contact me, I am a lecturer at the University of Essex (which also has good writing programs) and I would love to show you around. I hope you can stay here. Here is my staff profile with my email in case you want to email: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/DIAZD50708/alejandra-diaz-de-leon
Thank you, Alejandra! I’ve ended up accepting an offer from the U of Manchester, as they gave me a bursary that made it feasible. Thank you, though!
This was a beautiful read, Anne. I hope Plan C works out, though I believe whatever works best is in store for you.
I'm in a 9 to 5 with what can at times be similar work conditions. I don't have kids, but finding time for creative pursuits has been challenging. More than time, I think it's about the energy and so much of it is influenced by the people and conversations that surround us as writers. Finding a like-minded group over virtual hang-outs, the writing of others (like yours!), and events, has been encouraging and stimulating. :)
I'm so glad! Do you know Elizabeth Gilbert's podcast series "Magic Lessons"? I highly recommend!
I've read her book, Big Magic. Will tune into the podcast, thanks!
Wishing you the best of luck. Well done for cutting free - I look forward to hearing more about your life.
Wishing you luck Anne and following your journey with curiosity and hope! I’m one of those burned-out academics, still in the system and so tired of it. I hope to make writing my second act!
🔥❤️🙌
I’ve had similar experiences with travel and life, and I’m currently creating a new path and chapter. I feel that life is always a puzzle, that’s the beauty of it for me, moving from edges to clusters of colours and patterns. Sometimes the hardest part to figure out is exactly what it is that we want and being open enough to realize and remember and believe that we can create a life of both/and.❤️
Hi Anne. I loved your post. I too threw my life in in the US and moved to Berlin. I was mid divorce and broke and no idea where my life was going. I just knew that chasing my dreams in America nearly killed me.
But they weren’t my dreams. They were the ones everyone else told me to follow.
So I threw out all those scripts and started to write my own. I wrote a book HOW TO BURN A RAINBOW. I travelled. I started freelancing in advertising.
And so it went for 6 years. Now the book published and a speaking a career opened up for me. Never would have imagined any of this at the start.
Just keep going. It all makes sense in retrospect.
Because you are living while you’re alive. We weren’t made from stardust to return emails.
Oh and a simple recipe.
One clove garlic / three small anchovies / olive oil / salt / pepper / parsley / breadcrumbs
Put the olive oil in the pan and just warm it. Let the anchovies melt. This is about 7 minutes. Throw the garlic crushed in for 3 minutes. Put this on fresh cooked spaghetti with a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Throw on the parsley not too much. Mix. Season to taste. Then put 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs on it (the chunkier kind)
Voila! Served with some roasted veges if you want more to the meal. But that recipe is a winner. Takes 15 minutes.
cheers,
Karl
I turned 40 last year and experiencing some mid life transition. Being laidoff catapulted this bigger question about what I want my life to look like for the next half. This post is inspiring. To be transparent I’m also in limbo about my marriage, my career, and the trajectory of my life. I’m still figuring it out as I go through my day to day but sharing to let you know own you’re not alone.
Thanks, Anne. I love reading about "alternative" lifestyles. I've always been curious about living in Europe, specifically Italy. I moved to the most remote of the Cayman Islands back in 2015, for 3 years. I moved back to the U.S., moved again to a different Cayman island...My friends said they wish they'd have had the courage and that they had dreams of leaving their predicatable lives. I then moved to live on a citrus farm in Portugal. That was tough! But memorable. Anyway! I believe I have about one more big, abroad move left in me, as a sixty-something, adventurous woman. I had your post pinned and am happy I finally got to read it! Best of luck to you.
Thanks for sharing so much. The thing that I wonder about most is how much money you had to start this endeavor? It seems very unattainable quit a job and live traveling around another continent without quite a savings built up. Is that something you had and would be willing to share ballpark figures about?
Thank you for touching on the elephant in my life at this stage: academic institutions that feel it’s ok to forego raises and other necessary payments for faculty. I have struggled with this for a few years; I kept fantasizing that things would change. The change came from me: I left my private university to teach at a state college that can afford raises, bonuses, professional development, and other benefits.
I’m impressed with your honesty and fortitude. Great change comes with great cost, but you have definitely changed your life for the better. Best of luck as you figure out your next plans!
Thank you, Vicky! I’m glad that you found a solution for yourself. It's a real problem so many universities have.
Your story and post is so relatable! I never went into the professional world of academia or corporate living because I sensed that it would be too much for me, and saw how the hustle lifestyles were making others sick. My partner and I lived nomad life for years until we could afford to buy a camper and a truck to live in full time. We don’t have a home anywhere, but we can move around as we wish as long as we can find work. Traveling is exciting and adventurous and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Sometimes though I wish we could have a cute cottage somewhere to live our lives, but with today’s prices and economy it’s nearly impossible for a couple like us to do that, even owning our own trades business and working PT jobs.