moved
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vivienne Zhao, 33, a French teacher. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.For years, I treated belonging as a measure of my worth. I believed that if I spoke well enough, adapted carefully enough, and paid close enough attention…
As a frequent traveler, I fell in love with Thailand’s diverse landscapes, rich culture, and — best of all — the food. So when I experienced career burnout in 2024 after five years in Hong Kong and needed a soft landing, Thailand felt like an instant safe haven.I knew it…
My late 30s were hard. Living alone in Cape Town, South Africa, I was holding out for a partner and children while my friends moved through weddings and baby showers without me.My parents and sisters (including my twin) lived in another province, freelance writing work was drying up, and as…
James Cameron says he had talked about moving to New Zealand for years before finally following through in 2020.On Wednesday’s episode of “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” the filmmaker said he first fell in love with the country in the ’90s, but the US response to the pandemic ultimately pushed…
After 12 years living abroad in Berlin and then Madrid, I never imagined returning home to Ireland. However, a breakup, becoming a single parent to a young teen, and growing concerns about my father’s health made moving back home something I had to consider.The decision wasn’t easy. I worried about…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marissa Chiechi, 32, who relocated from Los Angeles to Alexandria, Virginia, in 2023. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I met my now-husband, Rejoy, on Bumble. I was born and raised in California.…
Whenever I tell someone back home in Kentucky that my husband is Irish and we live in Ireland, they get this dreamy look in their eyes.I can imagine what they probably think my life looks like: living in a thatched-roof cottage, strolling among gently rolling hills dotted with fluffy sheep,…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dom Jones, 39, a teacher and entrepreneur who moved from the US to Taipei, Taiwan, in the fall of 2025. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.Asia has always drawn me in. I grew up in the Los Angeles…
Shortly after earning my Bachelor’s degree, I did what any confused 21-year-old would do: I moved to be with a partner. The decision surprised a lot of people in my life. My dad raised his eyebrows at my choice to move for love and to make Texas my home.After all,…
Throughout my childhood, my family barely strayed from the parts of West Virginia’s Appalachia region where I was born and raised.I spent college two hours away in Ohio, and during those years, I started traveling around the United States and to more distant places in Europe and Latin America. I…
