What a time it has taken me – to finally get to the point of being able to “let go” my grip on my past, on things, even though those things had so many associations; on memories, good bad and indifferent.
About 5 yrs of research online, reading around about all the different countries expat’s go to. Subscribing to expat newsletters, from Chang Mai to Santiago. Reading, reading, checking, buying information. And, finally, settling on Cuenca Ecuador.
One sleepless night of looking at the shadow dark ceiling and suddenly thinking “what have I got to look forward to”? Knowing that my life here isn’t going to change in any positive way.
My associations with people have rarely been good since I came to Australia 48 years ago. We don’t “gel”, Aussies and I. I am not of them, although I lived here so long, brought up 2 children here, went to University here, and have worked and nursed and taught and experimented here. At Uni, there were friends. So called “mature age” students tend to congregate. We had the caving club (or spieliological society !!) – a good group. But University is a temporary environment, people get their degrees and move away. Universities change, jobs change, and to find work I moved away. Into a very tumultuous stressed and ultimately crashed out life.
Now – well, I am sans the house I worked to achieve to support me in retirement, sans a big chunk of a superannuation thanks to my disastrous second marriage, and looking at living on the pathetic Australian State Superannuation Scheme, while paying rent which amounts to 70% of my income.
What I had to look forward to, I thought, was increasing poverty, loneliness, misery. Cold, broke and hungry in a hovel of a rental that was, ultimately, all I could afford.
Who wouldn’t go to Ecuador?
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