Without a doubt, not having kids has made it easier for my husband and me to be mobile, taking advantage of opportunities to work in London and Berlin. Along the way we have both been in the position of being a trailing spouse, i.e., the person following the one who has a job. We wrote about it on a piece over on
LiveAbroad.com, which you can read
here. You'll hear all about our failed attempts to re-invent ourselves: I as a modern-day Julia Child, my husband as "David Bowie in the late '70s, but fatter and decidedly less creative." Hope you enjoy.
Class of 1966 - Go Deacs! regarding being a trailing spouse, i.e., the person following the one who has a job - I did this in 1984 when moving to Fairfax County, Virginia, from Harding Township, NJ. We bought this house then - our first home purchase. In 2014 summer we will have been here three decades. Twenty-seven of those years, "Beth" Pirkle (Braxton) served Burke Presbyterian Church as senior pastor. Our retirement began twenty-five months ago, 2011 September 1.
ReplyDeleteGo Deacs, indeed! You raise an excellent point, which is that being a trailing spouse isn't just an expat thing. In fact, I'm sure there are many more people who've had an experience like yours moving cities or states within their home countries than abroad. Enjoy your retirement!
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