between here and there
singapore, UK, egypt, new zealand, hongkong. we may be in any one of those places around this time next year. no fixed plans yet, but we’re considering the possibilities very carefully. we’re eager of exploring new terrain, but we won’t go unarmed. as early as now, we have travel guides and relevant websites bookmarked for further perusal. and while the idea of relocating (yet again!) sometimes overwhelms me, i can’t help but get excited. only someone with a lust for travel and exploration would understand why we’d give up a comfortable and relatively good life here in germany to try the waters somewhere else. ahh, my feet are itching and my heart is skipping, it’s a wonder i’m still sitting anchored here!
if money was no object, we won’t be anywhere else than in the philippines. we live a very modest lifestyle, even on the brink of being spartan by german standards, but we can’t live in a hut. and we owe it to jan to give him access to good schools. those are the only realities that’s keeping us from settling over there.
but my husband is in love with asia. it’s where you really feel alive, he said. whatever that means. fine with me; i won’t argue. each kilometer that brings me nearer to the philippines raises my cheer-level up a notch.
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-o-
frankfurt. nürnberg. freiburg. berlin. aachen. trier. köln. kassel. heidelberg. bonn. just some of the major german cities i’ve been to. next stop: kiel, off the north coast. while hubby presents his poster before the DGE (german society for nutritional sciences), jan and i will explore the harbor. hopefully the salty seawind will do his neurodermitis breakout some good. and the maritime museum will surely be a welcome sight for someone born in central germany.
hm, strange, but it sounds like i’m slowly bidding goodbye to germany…
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27 Responses to “between here and there”
March 15th, 2005 at
follow where your heart leads you to..life is short so we better enjoy it…
we have to see each other one last time before you say goodbye to europe, ok?
tc ruth
March 15th, 2005 at
contacts are now slowly being established again in foreign land…I guess relocating is once again not an unknown word to us, too. If moving is getting closer than we expect, then we’d have to strengthen our kids for the coming change/s.
March 15th, 2005 at
will sure try, thess. but don’t fret, it’s not like we’ll never go back naman.
justice: nahilo ako sa matalinhaga mong ingles.
mag-relocate kayo kung mag-rerelocate. basta wag nyo lang kaming sundan, hehe..
March 15th, 2005 at
naku ano ba yan…mababawasan ang magaganda at matitinong kausap dito sa Germany!
March 15th, 2005 at
Wanderlust striking! I love traveling but living permanently elsewhere isn’t something I want to do, especially if its another country. Good luck to the two of you though; those locations sound so exotic to my ears.
March 15th, 2005 at
Hi ruth over 8 years we have been in USA, Italy, France, a bit in the indian ocean, greece, UK, now to Norway. Of course we have considered Asia…we shall we see how Norway works for us, we’ll probably go to Phils this year to look at some place for the future!
March 15th, 2005 at
Inggit ako sa iyo Ruth. Pero paano na ako pag wala ka *enter drama music* Wala na akong ka-puyatan?! Sino na ang mag se sermon sa akin?
March 15th, 2005 at
Uy, I’m so excited for you, too excited that my fingers are tripping over each other. Oo nga, gawin na yan while you’re young enough for all the adjustments, kaysa naman kapag uugod-ugod na, di ba?
March 15th, 2005 at
Looks like we’re in the same situation, Ruth! As for us though, seems like we’re leaving… uh… really really soon. It’s true what your husband said : Asia really makes one feel so alive. wow! choose hongkong!
March 15th, 2005 at
Hello! been reading about you since before. and if you happen to decide to stay here in SG, i would like to say welcome to Singapore!
March 15th, 2005 at
it’s nice to wonder how our lives would be in another location. especially if we’re the ones planning and picking the place. but with us who are with the military, all we can do is hope for a better place than where we’re at right now come next destination provided and picked by the government. though, i’m not saying na there’s nothing we can do at all. sure, we can also pick a place on our own, but first things first…we gotta get out of the army! (which is what…a few years from now..?? yay! –at least something to get excited about…
)
March 16th, 2005 at
The places you mentioned sound exciting. Good luck and I hope you find the right place soon. I could only imagine how neat it would be for Jan to grow up seeing all these places.
Good luck on your husband’s presentation too.
March 16th, 2005 at
NZ, NZ here we come…
March 16th, 2005 at
my dad would have a way of describing your writing in this entry: “involving”. i don’t know why, ruth, but i was quivering with excitement (and dread, would you believe) after reading this. if you end up in singapore… sarap!!! first world life in asia where people can speak english! o diba? don nila talo ang japan e.
ruthie, kahit di mo hiningi, i am praying for you.
off tangent na hinde: thank you for this entry. it made my night.
March 16th, 2005 at
good luck, ruth..kung saan man kayong mag-anak mapadpad.
kami, we’re moving too in two years time…pero sa kabilang ibayo lang…hehehe…;-)
March 18th, 2005 at
hi ruthie — i am sure that wherever you decide to park your family in the next year or so you will be happy and contented BECAUSE you are with your loved ones
How I wish I can just uproot ourselves and move closer to home — teka, where is home nga ba?
March 18th, 2005 at
Svelte is right..no language barrier for you if it’s Singapore,the land of the OC’s.
That is mighty nice and good for your husband to say that! (Asia thing)
Goodluck!
March 18th, 2005 at
wow, sounds exciting! while change may be intimidating at first, especially if it involves relocating, it could be good! and especially if it would bring you closer to home. pero teka, no thailand in there?! huwhaaat?
March 19th, 2005 at
goodluck ruth! sundan ka namin,yaw mo nga pala,hehe seriously,we might move out as well,not sure though when?
March 19th, 2005 at
Many people also ask Lorenzo and me why we don’t just go back to the Philippines and my answer would always be education. We now have three children to think about, and you’d have to pay an arm and a leg for a quality education there.
Once the kids are older and we’re retired, however, I can see ourselves definitely settling down there!
March 20th, 2005 at
rhada: as if ikaw ay permanenteng nandito, eh isa ka pang paalis rin naman!
pinayhekmi: i don’t know, maybe we’ve got gypsy-genes. christine is right, as long as we’re all together, it can be anywhere in the world!
AnP: and you think i can’t make sermon over email, huh? hehe…
karen: exactly!
shatzli: goodluck on your move north! brrrr!!!
kala: cool! you guys heading eastwards, too?
luchie: nothing definite pa. singapore sounds really good, but we’ll have to wait and see…
des: in time, dear… meanwhile, go out and enjoy germany as much as you can. dive into the german culture and explore! soon, you’ll be leaving too!
March 20th, 2005 at
hilda, sachiko: thanks!
glo: ikaw rin?
svelte: ang galing ng sensors mo; that’s exactly how i feel about relocating. thanks for the prayers.
misis14: 2 years? better start packing, haha! sa laki ng bahay nyo, it’ll take ages to get everything moved!
christine: where is home? ewan ko na. i think we’re starting to lose the concept of “my” country, “my” people, “my” home. labo ba?
yupki: i love thailand and i think thais are the kindest people, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of prospect for science-geeks out there…
cheH: really? saan?
renee: yes, exactly. but if not the philippines, we hope to be somewhere in the vicinity, at least… hoping, hoping…
March 21st, 2005 at
sa singapore na lang. here’s why:
1. it’s just 3 hrs away from manila
2. there’s almost no crime
3. it’s the cleanest place in asia
4. the education is first rate
5. there is a huge german expat community
6. they don’t have winters
7. bio-science is booming
8. you can jump to australia ($200), malaysia ($40), indonesia ($20) or thailand ($20) for a weekend getaway quite easily.
9. shopping/nightlife/entertainment is great
10. the food is excellent
March 21st, 2005 at
ruth: kakasuka na dito sa IRRI at ‘pinas in general. i’m looking for a fresh start. saan pa eh di sa dreamland kong NZ.
March 21st, 2005 at
pwede i-ditto ko na lang ang comments ni kuya batjay? halika na dito, lipad na! (parang sharon cuneta commercial.. hee!)
March 25th, 2005 at
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