Thursday, September 6, 2007

Bienvenido A Ohio

We just got back from a weeklong trip back to Ohio. No matter how long we stay, it always feels like a whirlwind. We saw family and friends and Samara got bonding time with her cousins and paternal grandparents. As always, the end of our trip was the hardest.

Everytime we go to Cleveland, we (I) are (am) so tempted to move there. Maybe it is because I know R would never do it, but I always want to just drop everything and buy a house there. We would be so close to family and friends, plus I generally like Cleveland. I think I would be very hapy there for a lot of reasons (not the least of which is cost of living). But R says no way. He would have fewer job opportunities since biotech's main hub is here in the Bean. But sometimes I just feel stupid for continuing to live this way--in a tiny condo we paid way too much for amid thousands of cramped immigrant families--when we could have a much more comfortable life for the same price while seeing family more often.

I love this city, but 16 years here is a long time. Plus I would always have ties to the city since my parents live here. So, how do people make their decisions about where to live? R says it is a huge mistake to sacrifice the career opportunities in a big city to live closer to family. But the more time I have my daughter, the more I realize how important it is to have the support of family. We are very much on our own here. There are no babysitters here, no Sunday barbecues with cousins and old friends. If we only have a few decades of life, where do I want to spend them? These are the questions I ask myself. I understand why R wants to stay here, why he loves Boston. I guess I just wish we could have the life we could have there, here.




4 comments:

Gal on the Go said...

Now I know my hometown is a lot closer to Boston than Ohio is - but I have to tell you I, too have been having the same inner turmoil (see my blog post from yesterday). and Welcome Back! I missed you!

beagle said...

Love the photos. Her tiedye outfit is great!

Kristi said...

We have the opposite desires, it seems. I have what you want-the close family in the town I live in, the weekly Sunday dinners with extended family at my great-aunt's house-and it's great, most of the time. And you have what I want-the excitement of life in a big city. The grass is always greener, I suppose. Want to swap lives for a month? ;)

PS: Welcome back!

Unknown said...

At east you have logic on your side. I'm currently living in Atlanta. I'd love to move back to the NE to be closer to family, but the bf is...shall we say, inert. Try convincing someone to move to where the cost of living is double the status quo. :(