So the other day I talked about being reminded about contentment by watching House Hunters. Thinking about the show made me reflect on conversations that my wife and I would have while watching “Househunters International“.

This is where people would either make a permanent move to another country, or just purchase a vacation home. The people who were making a permanent move didn’t seem to have any real connections in the states and seemed at ease with their decision.

My wife and I would watch this show sometimes and think about whether we could really pick up and move to another country. I couldn’t imagine going about my life in the U.S. and then waking up one day and trying to find a home and establish a new life in a new place. I know that something as basic as car insurance laws and other specifics differ from state to state in the U.S., so I can only imagine the headache of trying to get that sorted out in another country.

And if we don’t manage to get on the show (does that even come on anymore?), then we will have to deal with learning all of the real estate laws for ourselves. Even a move to Canada (which is on the same continent) would probably be too much for me.

I couldn’t imagine us being that far away from our family. My wife and I have lived a combined 59 years in the U.S. (all of them in New Jersey), and I think it would be too much of a shock to go and live somewhere else. Also, if we don’t move to another country where English is the official language, we may have a hard time adapting. Also, we would have to worry about finding a strong, biblical church with expository preaching wherever we go…something much more difficult to do in another country.

I don’t even want to think about serious issues such as visas, dual citizenship, wills & estates, and all the other things which may be handled differently in the new country. There are other things that take up a lot of time and/or money right now that people have to contend with when they move to another country – even if the native language is English.

So when I think about it, I don’t think I will ever be in the position of the people on this show – willingly, cheerfully, and voluntarily moving to another country (it will probably be a necessity if it ever happens).

I don’t even feel comfortable with the idea of moving to another state! 😉

So What About You?

1. Would you ever permanently move to another country?
2. What would be some of the things that might stop you from making that move?
3. For those of you who moved to a different country as an adult, why did you move and how difficult was the transition?