REALLY enoyed reading this. has given me lots of think about. I'm permanently knee-deep in the not-knowing. Some days it's hell. some days it is incredibly liberating and hopeful. My unsolicited advice? Stay in Lisbon as long as humanly possible! London isn't going anywhere. Change and newness is only ever a good thing, even when it's hard.
Thanks Marisa. I love your writing! And I'm happy to have a companion in the trenches of the not-knowing. And I very much appreciate the unsolicited advice.
I loved this Francesca, thank you for sharing 🫶🏼 My long-term Mistress is Rome, she undoubtedly brings out the best in me (including my puns), however I’m not sure I could leave London permanently for her. Having lived here 10 years, I resonated with the feeling of waiting for things to happen. Coming from Melbourne, the opportunities are endless, but as I’ve grown up my priorities have changed and I’ve found it can be an exhausting environment. As someone who’s been torn between Australia and London for years now, the only conclusion I’ve come to is there’s no perfect place to live. If you’re lucky you get to try out different places. Hope you continue to soak up all that Lisbon sun & new energy however long your fling lasts 💫
Thanks SJ! Wow, a Rome to London relationship - how glamorous! Thanks for sharing your experience – always inspiring to hear our lives-less-travelled, acts as a permission slip to the rest of us. I highly relate to the exhaustion of infinite choices – that's how I feel about London sometimes. That said, I'm very much a product of that environment too, and would struggle without oat milk-everything. Thanks for your lovely wishes – shall endeavour to stretch out this Lisbon business.
What a beautiful, honest piece. I read with a lot of interest the bit where you distinguish between loneliness of a foreign person and being lonely in your home town.
I moved to South Wales from Russia 20 years ago to be with my husband, from whom I’m now divorced. My family are all abroad, my married friends found the change challenging, I didn’t cultivate building an independent network of friends over the years (obvs my fault) and so now I find myself with a very limited social circle, impeded by the fact I work from home.
And I live in a tiny town, while I’m a city person, always have been, but have to stay here until my kids are older.
Your account is beautiful and honest. It is my dream to hot desk around Europe in a few years’ time when the kids are older, as I too can work from anywhere.
Sending you good wishes. You are a beautiful human being and are not alone. ❤️
Thanks for sharing and for your kind words. That sounds like a difficult position to be in, especially without being able to leave because of commitments to your kids. I hope you continue to make the most of it and subsequently it will make the freedom of Europe hot-desking that bit sweeter!
yes to so much of this. as a one time expat (feels so long ago) & current needing main character energy & new vibrancy in my “london” (which is far less exciting than actual london), this resonates. enjoy your exploring & growth
this. I can relate to so much of what you're saying. The "single at wedding years" is my life right now. The waiting for something to happen that never bloody does. The never having a good answer to "are you seeing anybody". It's the first thing anyone asks me when they haven't seen me in a while and I'm so drained by the question. So you're absolutely not alone in how you're feeling.
And your time in Lisbon sounds gorgeous! You've inspired me to book my next solo trip to Europe rather than keep waiting for someone to go with.
REALLY enoyed reading this. has given me lots of think about. I'm permanently knee-deep in the not-knowing. Some days it's hell. some days it is incredibly liberating and hopeful. My unsolicited advice? Stay in Lisbon as long as humanly possible! London isn't going anywhere. Change and newness is only ever a good thing, even when it's hard.
Thanks Marisa. I love your writing! And I'm happy to have a companion in the trenches of the not-knowing. And I very much appreciate the unsolicited advice.
I loved this Francesca, thank you for sharing 🫶🏼 My long-term Mistress is Rome, she undoubtedly brings out the best in me (including my puns), however I’m not sure I could leave London permanently for her. Having lived here 10 years, I resonated with the feeling of waiting for things to happen. Coming from Melbourne, the opportunities are endless, but as I’ve grown up my priorities have changed and I’ve found it can be an exhausting environment. As someone who’s been torn between Australia and London for years now, the only conclusion I’ve come to is there’s no perfect place to live. If you’re lucky you get to try out different places. Hope you continue to soak up all that Lisbon sun & new energy however long your fling lasts 💫
Thanks SJ! Wow, a Rome to London relationship - how glamorous! Thanks for sharing your experience – always inspiring to hear our lives-less-travelled, acts as a permission slip to the rest of us. I highly relate to the exhaustion of infinite choices – that's how I feel about London sometimes. That said, I'm very much a product of that environment too, and would struggle without oat milk-everything. Thanks for your lovely wishes – shall endeavour to stretch out this Lisbon business.
Oat-milk everything! Probably the key reason why I couldn’t live in Rome permanently right there 😅💯
What a beautiful, honest piece. I read with a lot of interest the bit where you distinguish between loneliness of a foreign person and being lonely in your home town.
I moved to South Wales from Russia 20 years ago to be with my husband, from whom I’m now divorced. My family are all abroad, my married friends found the change challenging, I didn’t cultivate building an independent network of friends over the years (obvs my fault) and so now I find myself with a very limited social circle, impeded by the fact I work from home.
And I live in a tiny town, while I’m a city person, always have been, but have to stay here until my kids are older.
Your account is beautiful and honest. It is my dream to hot desk around Europe in a few years’ time when the kids are older, as I too can work from anywhere.
Sending you good wishes. You are a beautiful human being and are not alone. ❤️
Thanks for sharing and for your kind words. That sounds like a difficult position to be in, especially without being able to leave because of commitments to your kids. I hope you continue to make the most of it and subsequently it will make the freedom of Europe hot-desking that bit sweeter!
yes to so much of this. as a one time expat (feels so long ago) & current needing main character energy & new vibrancy in my “london” (which is far less exciting than actual london), this resonates. enjoy your exploring & growth
Thank you Angela! I'm so happy it resonated (and so impressed you did the expat thing properly!)
Oh I feel so seen reading this
this. I can relate to so much of what you're saying. The "single at wedding years" is my life right now. The waiting for something to happen that never bloody does. The never having a good answer to "are you seeing anybody". It's the first thing anyone asks me when they haven't seen me in a while and I'm so drained by the question. So you're absolutely not alone in how you're feeling.
And your time in Lisbon sounds gorgeous! You've inspired me to book my next solo trip to Europe rather than keep waiting for someone to go with.