A change of scenery

To prepare for my possible re-entry to the job market in at the end of this year, I've been building up my professional network on linkedin (search for me by first and last name and add me as a contact if you're linkedin) and discovered that one of my fellow co-workers had relocated to Auckland NZ a few months ago. How dare she do that? Moving to New Zealand was my dream!

I spent a few of my formative years outside the USA, and still haven't lost my taste for the expat life, so this caused me to start contemplating international cities that I would consider relocating to. Here are five cities in alphabetical order.

1. Auckland - basically anywhere in New Zealand's North or South Island would be a great place to live, and I'd prefer Christchurch or Dunedin, but Auckland is the big city with more employment opportunities. The latest batch of Conchords inspired Kiwiphilia in the U.S. just confirms that NZ is a very cool country.

2. Barcelona - I've only been to Barcelona once, but was really taken by it. It's a place I would love to live. Between watching Whit Stillman's movie and the Barça matches on GolTV, I've found one of my new favorite cities.

3. London - I spent part of one summer (1985) in London on a "work/study visa", but there wasn't a lot of "work" because it was the height of Thatcherism so I had to fall back on the "study" part. I love the place, but it's so big and foreboding. One of my friends (who most of you know, but she doesn't read my blog so I can talk about her behind her back) moved here last year, and seems to like it. It seems like everything is twice as expensive as it is in the USA, but you don't get twice the pay for working here. Funny that.

4. Perth, WA - I spent a month in Perth on a work/study holiday after graduating from college (1987), but the "working" part also never materialized here. It's my favorite city in Australia, closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney, with lots of good Asian/Italian restaurants and a good music scene (at least in the late 80s).

5. Singapore - One of my favorite cities. I spent a few years there during high school (and my parents lived there through the 80s which allowed me to spend summers in London and Perth) and have been back a few times since. It's as much like home as any other city except San Francisco. Great culture and great food, but not without its little quirks.