Wow, it’s officially 2023! Happy New Year! 🎊 I absolutely love this time of year – it’s full of new beginnings, exciting plans, and fresh calendars! However, as per usual, I’ve already written quite a bit in my 2023 calendar because we, of course, have a few trips planned, and this year, we actually have another international move on the docket. So, if you’re interested in some of the ‘where’s, ‘when’s, and ‘why’s of our 2023 whereabouts, here’s what I know so far:
Moving to Canada
We’re finally headed to the far north! After receiving our permanent residencies last summer, we have officially decided to make the move and relocate to Canada later this year. It’s turning out to be quite the memorable move for us because at first, we thought it would be happening in late 2019 or early 2020, and then after the pandemic, we thought it might not be the right move for us at all, so now that we’re looking at apartments in Ottawa (again), it feels a little surreal. But before we get to the move, there are some things we’re planning to do here in Mexico first.
Wrapping up our time in Mexico
Moving to Mexico was easily one of the best decisions we ever made, and we have had an absolutely amazing time here. In fact, our love for Guadalajara and its people and culture was one of the biggest obstacles in deciding whether or not this would be the right time to move. I always feel so torn during our transition periods, because I’m never ready to leave behind the homes we’ve created, but at the same time, I can’t wait for all the excitement and novelty of a new place to call home. It’s complicated. But with this particular re-location, the good news is I have no doubt we’ll be back, hopefully often, because this time, we’re staying on the same continent!
Of course, we know at some point we will have to say adiós, but for now, we plan on fully savoring our last few months in Mexico. We’re already doing our best to check off all the lists we made when we arrived: all the places we still want to travel to, all the restaurants we still want to eat at, and all the things we still want to do or be a part of. In fact, I think next month, I’ll break down our Mexico bucket list and share some of the things we’ve been able to do and see these past 2+ years. I’m extremely grateful for each and every one of these experiences, and I do hope to make Mexico proud with one last fiesta before we go (featuring a limo, another piñata, and some of our best friends) – stay tuned!
On top of saying goodbye to the friends we’ve made and the culture we’ve grown to love, I’ll also be switching language focuses (again). I’ve spent quite a lot of time studying Spanish over the last few years, and while I’m always quick to poke fun at it or complain (as any student would), I’m going to miss it immensely. Therefore, in an effort to ensure my Spanish reaches its current potential and perhaps actually sticks with me a bit longer than my Polish or Mandarin did, I’m planning to take the DELE (a Spanish proficiency exam) in April. I’m hoping to pull off a B2 (upper intermediate level) and potentially work with Spanish in the future, so ¡deséame suerte! But also wish me luck when I switch back to le français because I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
Flying then Driving
So, it looks like we’re going to have a really fun first few months of the year, but what about the actual move? Well, it’s a lot. Right now, we’re planning to fly up to Canada in late April/early May to secure our apartment and maybe take care of a few other logistics like paperwork and furniture acquisition, but our big move will be at the end of May. Over Memorial Day week, we’re packing everything up (including the dog and all her personal effects) and driving the 44 hours from Guadalajara, Mexico up to Ottawa, Canada. It was a 33-hour drive when we originally came down from Orlando, so how bad could an extra 11 hours be?
For our second cross-continental drive, we’ve planned for several stops along the way: those for resting, those for working, and those for visiting family. We’re also planning on taking more luggage up with us on the initial fly-up, so the car doesn’t have to be quite as packed as last time…although it probably still will be. Since we’ll have two border crossings this time around, we’ve budgeted a bit of extra time around the first and last legs of the trip to hopefully side-step any unforeseen issues. Fingers crossed! And before we know it (hopefully on June 3rd), we’ll officially be residing in Canada.
Then What?
After we arrive, I have virtually no set plans. We’ll most likely not be renting a fully-furnished place this time, so I imagine we’ll spend a few weeks unpacking, re-furnishing, and getting set up in our new place. We, very specifically, chose to move in the summer months, which should give us plenty of time to prepare for winter. Neither one of us owns a pair of boots anymore, so that’s something we’ll need to take care of. I also wanted Jenn to be able to acclimate to the severe shift in climates as gently as possible – we’re going to get her a heated blanket to help the cause.
And once we’re all set up and feeling comfy in the Great White North, I’ll be making my Canada bucket list and hopefully arranging for people to come visit! One of the best things about living in Mexico was how short a flight it was for visitors. We had a record number of family and friends come down, and I hope that trend will continue while we’re in Canada (hint, hint).
Clearly, we have a lot to look forward to this year, so here’s to another 365 days of new adventures!
This was an obvious choice for this particular list because we only spent about 23 hours in the country. It was our first foray into long-layover travel, and we definitely fumbled our way through it. It wasn’t too difficult to get from the airport to the city center (and back again), but as we set off with absolutely no plan, it was mostly just a long walk around the beautiful canals. Amsterdam is a great walking city though, so even with our random ambling, we were able to take in the numerous and iconic bridges, bicycles, and fry-stands. We also explored the infamous Red Light District and (from a distance) the I AMsterdam sign, which is sadly no longer there.
Next on our “must return to” list is Finland, which might not have been an obvious choice seeing as we spent almost three weeks there, but at the time we 1) had very little money to spend, 2) were exhausted from finishing up our undergrad degrees, and 3) had just gotten married, which as anyone who has planned a wedding can attest, left us feeling a bit burnt out. Typically when we travel now, we avoid suitcases and we move around a lot, but as this was our first trip sans car, we failed miserably at both packing lightly and at utilizing public transportation. We also weren’t able to afford train passes or much of anything at that time; in fact, our flights and accommodations were wrangled together with the help of some of our wedding gifts and useful family connections. Regardless of what now seems like a trip very far removed from our usual preferences, at the time is was magical.
Technically we’ve been to the Bahamas a few times now, but does it really count if it’s on a cruise? I mean, don’t get me wrong, cruises are fun and economical, but they definitely keep you in a bit of a bubble. For this reason, I would love to go back to the Bahamas, without the big boat. I think it would be amazing to fly into Nassau and explore New Providence Island a little more slowly and a lot more thoroughly. There are several forts I want to see on the island, not to mention the art galleries, lighthouses, and, of course, the beaches (especially the ones on the far side of the island). At some point Tucker and I want to get our diving certification so we can explore the depths too, or if we don’t have time for that, then I want to do one of those bubble helmet dives instead!
Germany unfortunately represents another set of rookie moves on our part. We spent a year living just a few hours over the border in central Poland, yet we failed to A) make it to Oktoberfest and B) visit Bavaria, the most quintessential of all the German regions. While I do sorely regret not making time for southern Germany, we did really enjoy our time in Berlin and Potsdam looking at the incredible architecture, sampling the infamous brews, and picnicking in the numerous parks. It was an absolutely lovely time, but of course, I’d love to go back for a festival or two. It’s really not our fault we missed Oktoberfest; we had wrongly assumed it took place in October, but really it’s more of a September event that actually ends in early October. Ah well, it’s on the list for our inevitable return trip. As are other famous places like: Neuschwanstein Castle, the Rhine, Cologne, and, of course, Bavaria.
Perhaps unlike any other place we had been, Mongolia intrigued us in so many ways. It’s really a breathtakingly beautiful country that exceeded every expectation we had for it. We visited for about a week in 2017, but unfortunately a lot of that time was taken up by work (conferences, presentations, etc.) In our free time though, we were able to pretty thoroughly explore Ulaanbaatar, including temples, yurt neighborhoods, live-music bars, and amazingly trendy restaurants. We also took a short road trip out to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, which was honestly a bit frightening for me (mostly because we opted to dismiss the rental insurance), but ultimately it gave us the best glimpse of what life is like outside UB.
Last on this list (for now) is a place we actually visited just last year. On our way back to China from a work event in the Philippines, we took a bit of a roundabout path that allowed us to spend almost a week in Malaysia, well, in and around Kuala Lumpur anyway. Malaysia is a tricky country to fully explore in a short amount of time because it’s made up of part of a peninsula (West Malaysia) and part of the island of Borneo (East Malaysia), the two regions being about 400 miles apart. For this reason, although we feel pretty good about our exploration of the amazing capital city, typically called KL for short, we still really want to explore some of the other regions of this incredibly diverse country.
We never made it to a beach while we were in Malaysia, so maybe we’ll start there on a subsequent trip. There are many islands off the coasts of both West and East Malaysia that look amazingly beautiful and relaxing. There are also several world-renowned national parks, which are home to a collection of unique indigenous species that Tucker really wants to check out. Of course, as we found in KL, Malaysia seems to enjoy extremes sports as well, so maybe we’ll try the popular zip-lining, white water rafting, or jungle trekking activities while we’re at it!
Of course, there are three countries, not previously mentioned, that are and will indefinitely be on our return radar: the United States, Poland, and China. These are the places we have the greatest connection to, and thus will need many re-visits and reunions to sustain us. Luckily, our friends and family in Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, 
Next up, my dad wanted to try a famous seafood place (Dixie Crossroads) out on the Atlantic coast, which I quickly paired up with a drive to Cocoa Beach and Port Canaveral. Although it was a quick visit, we walked along the beach and the pier, looked for the cruise ships and the Space Center, and learned that Florida has a nickname for every single section of coastline.
Dani Francuz Rose 