I found this somewhat chilling to read, perhaps because I have shared so many of the premonitory feelings but at age 87 am too old to act on them. As a granddaughter of Norwegian immigrants (my pre-marital last name was Hammersberg) I have often felt yearnings for a homeland I have visited but never lived in. And like so many, I feel a great sadness for this country, which held out such hope for my grandparents.
With respect, I have a different view. I study resistance to authoritarianism. I am focused on the phases of autocratic actions vs. breakthrough (per Balint Magyar). We are not at breakthrough w Trump 2.0 — not yet. Ans the more we resist, the more we show authoritarian defiance, the less he can claim a sovereign power. Narratives matter. Americans are opposed in greater numbers by the day….
To me, the more pressing question we face in the US is: how do we know when it’s the time to stay?
Because no one will save America but Americans. Us. The time to stay is when you still can fight back, when you can exercise the very ideals you care about: being able to speak out. Now is that time. So while others may elect to leave, now is the time to stay and unite w others and fight back so we can have country to return to.
Not everyone faces the same risks: I understand why a trans American needs greater safety. But if you can speak out here, you are still expressing free speech. You, we, must exercise abd defend such rights.
Suggest everyone read Gene Sharp. Gather your courage and organize resistance. Now is the time. We need strategists especially.
"But in the time it took to prepare our move, my friends said they didn’t understand why I leaving. Wasn’t this a sweeping overreaction, they asked? Was I maybe allowing my feelings about Trump to warp my brain? I wondered the same thing. But every time I checked, my intuition said it louder: Get out."
This happened when we announced we were leaving, too. Though most of my friends understood, my parents and extended family did not. They said we had "Trump derangement syndrome;" that we were over-reacting.
But then they also said that when I said 15 years ago that there were too many unregulated guns owned by too many unstable people. And I didn't want to live in a society where you were expected as a normal responsible person to keep a firearm at the ready in self-defense.
They turn a determined blind eye to the crumbling infrastructure, underfunded schools, the outrageous cost of higher ed, the opioid crisis and number of overdose deaths of their friends' kids, even their friends ... COVID was a hoax until it wasn't, it was overblown until healthy people they knew got it and died. On and on...
I didn't realize until after this election how much I so wanted to be wrong about things--to have been exaggerating and paranoid.
But everything I have been worried about for so long has come to pass, to happen and then have become normalized. I really fear for what's coming...for the whole world.
Once again, so much of this resonated. My gut started to tell me to leave where I was (Eastern Washington State) in 2019, and my consciousness caught up as the community heated up in early 2020. Getting out of the country entirely wasn't within the realm of possibility or consideration yet. But in 2020 we moved from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast Coast, as far away as I could get then from the danger I felt myself in. By 2022, I was done with the whole U.S. All the alarm bells were ringing in my head. I also saw the parallels to late-stage USSR, as well as to pre-WWII Germany. I felt like everything was collapsing around me at an accelerated pace. We took a trip to France and the UK in the fall and we knew it was time to GTFO. About 5 months later, we were living in Portugal.
People should trust their intuitions more. We evolved to have these instinctual feelings as a matter of survival. I think the gut feelings are the shortcuts our subconscious makes, parsing through massive amounts of informtimen and stimuli we don't have time to think through when we are in imminent danger. We have been taught to be too reliant on intellect alone, and to ignore feelings, but both are essential.
I completely agree about intuition. It's so much smarter than logic (and faster!) yet it has this woo-woo reputation. I've been thinking about this article since I wrote it and I don't feel I've quite pinpointed what started to feel wrong in 2018ish. There was a turn but I can't seem to fully summon it. What was going on with you in 2019?
I had been involved in politics since roughly 2012 (became Dem party chair in 2015 or so and then a candidate for state legislature), a Planned Parenthood board member, and the founder and president of a secular humanist / atheist nonprofit. I was very engaged in activism and advocacy for various issues at the local, state, and even national level, so I had a heightened awareness of micro- and macro-level right-wing discussion and activities.
It's important to note I also have the added background of having been raised in an Evangelical home and was sent to Christian Nationalist private school in the South, so I knew what they believe, what they want, and how they talk.
In my political life, I interacted more often than I'd have liked with some very radical Christian Nationalist personalities, some of whom were elected officials already, others who were running for office or politically engaged. Even as a Dem candidate, I was invited to attend local Libertarian meetings and events, and I did, because I was an anti-establishment Dem who wanted to change the party from within, and I shared much in common with the left side of the libertarians, but I got a lot of exposure to the right-leaning libertarians, as well.
Anyhow, because of this background and life as a public figure, I sensed the right becoming more and more emboldened and strong even before Trump got elected the first time. It's the reason I felt he might actually win and why I felt like practically the only person in my social circle who wasn't surprised and in shock when he did. I really did not like Clinton and thought she was a disastrous choice as a candidate.
I had been closely following (and writing about and leading protests against) legal cases such as the Hobby Lobby decision, the civil rights clashes between Christians and LGBTQ people, including a big case that developed in my town and involved two dear friends who ended up in a protracted legal battle with a Christian florist who refused to sell flowers for their wedding in violation of state anti-discrimination statutes, and led the resistance against every attempt to install Christian hegemony in our public schools, city councils, etc., of which there were MANY attempts. It was intensifying and they were relentless.
The other change I was taking note of was the rapid intensification of the frequency and severity of wildfires. It was becoming a seasonal given.
And all of this was BEFORE the right-wing militias began patrolling the streets and harassing people in 2020 and all the antifa paranoia that erupted in the summer of BLM protests. Basically, I saw the region I was living in as a powder keg just waiting for the spark. It took moving to Georgia to realize the whole country was in deep trouble.
Thank you for this. I know what you mean by this idea of emboldenment. The cultural tone changed and very quickly. You were really in the trenches! And you have such a nuanced perspective. I’m so glad you found your way here to share it.
It really did change, and fast. I think we've been headed in this direction at an accelerating pace since 2008, but the seeds leading to that financial crisis were planted in the long-existing soil. There is DEEP discontentment across the political spectrum, and rightfully so. The difference lies in who regular people believe is to blame.
@JD Goulet - I like your writing and impressed with all the things you have organized, and all the things you have accomplished. With news moving so quickly, do you think there is ANY chance we can convince the electorate, but especially politicians that the timing is right, the timing is now, for a One Payer Healthcare Ststem - or Medicare for all. At 72, I live with the shadow of medical costs-induced poverty hanging over my head, and I can't get rid of the fear.
This was so compelling to read, and really resonates with me, as does much of your writing. I’ve lived in Norway for 11 years and moved here from the U.S. not to “get out” but to follow my Norwegian boyfriend, now-husband. It’s hard to know if I would try to leave if I hadn’t already been led abroad, but I can’t overstate how grateful I am that I ended up here. What keeps me up at night now (and basically since 2016) is something akin to survivor’s guilt. Especially with having very young kids and seeing how impossible it is to be a parent in the U.S. right now compared with here, along with the political turmoil there, the general sense of hostility, unchecked capitalism, etc, I am happy that my immediate family is safe and thriving in Norway but I fear so much for my family and friends back home. And I guess I still have enough patriotism in me that seeing what’s happening to my (first) home country is just so sad. Anyway, thank you for your perspectives and “hei / hej” from across the border!
Hej back to you! I know exactly what you mean. The guilt really stings. I'm glad you're safe in Norway and that your kids can grow up without all that stress. I hope we will all be ok.
I am an American expat who fled to Canada after recurrent nightmares telling me to run. In my case, I was fleeing from ongoing post divorce litigation. When the judge said he was reducing my ex's child support obligations by $5/month and asked what I wanted, I told him I wanted to be able to move to Canada with my Canadian spouse and minor children. The Judge agreed and I was on the plane the next day, talking my way across the border with the promise that I would submit immigration papers before my visitor's visa ran out. This was all pre-Trump 1. Oddly, the reason that I paid attention to my dreams was my ex's mother's story about how she had been saved from certain death by Hitler's hands when her own mother had had dreams of putting Jewish daughter with a limp caused by polio on a ship heading to the US and followed up on the dreams. Life goes on and I will not return to the US. It is not the country I left.
Trump's second victory reflects profound feelings of insecurity by a majority of Americans, who understand that the world is changing in significant ways and who don't feel that their communities or the US economy will support them when needed. Unfortunately, the US is not alone in this trend.
The V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden (https://www.v-dem.net/) is finding a growing number of electoral democracies are becoming autocracies by changes to the law and through the courts. Canada will have elections soon enough and I am hoping it bucks the autocratization trend.
Ella - My intuition is screaming “leave.” Canada is my top pick because I can maintain my current job which is 100% remote and I can easily transport my large dog there. It’s a doable 17 Hour drive from where I live. But after scouring the Canadian Immigration website, the only two options for permanent residency/citizenship are marrying a Canadian or qualifying as a Skilled Worker and getting lucky enough to get hired by a Canadian employer, which in my case, would be a University since I’m an academic advisor. I was able to find the NOC code for academic advisor, but I couldn’t tell what TEER it is. Getting hired feels like a long shot. Would you mind sharing how you did it? Or maybe you’re just using the tourist visa and leaving every 6 mos to renew it? I heard border agents are cracking down on that. Anything you could share is much appreciated.
Laurel, My situation was quite different from yours. I was married to a Canadian at the time I crossed the border and the relationship between Canada and the US was quite different. The big hurdle for citizenship in my case came down to health care. I was older at the time I entered and had asthma. Countries which have some form of state sponsored health care have a vested interest in excluding those who are older and/or who may not be in excellent condition.
Of course you are welcome to visit Canada. To prove that you are visiting, you may need to have a copy of your house deed or lease to prove to border agents that you intend to return to the United States. You should of course do what most tourists do which is to obtain travel insurance for the duration of your stay. You may also want to have a definite place to stay in Canada, a six month lease. (Border agents want to know that you are not just disappearing into Canada.) You should make sure to have an international vaccination certificate for your dog and that s/he complies with Canadian requirements in terms of tests. (I think Canada now requires heartworm and other tests).
Since you are on a visitor's visa, you should be enjoying all that Canada has to offer and not be "working". Before leaving, you may want to search your connections to see if any of your friends, relatives or acquaintances has the names of people in your field or people who would be fun to connect with in Canada. In particular, it might be helpful to find Canadian "snowbirds" who know the ins and outs of migrating between two countries...many of whom may not be going to the US now and may provide you with useful information.
One final thought, depending on your location, you may be able to open a bank account with a subsidiary of a Canadian bank operating in the US. If you open a bank account with the same Canadian bank in Canada, you should be able to transfer monies between the US and Canada easily. You might want to arrange for any regularly deposited checks to go into your account in the US subsidiary of the Canadian bank to have ready access to the funds. If you have a Canadian snowbird in your collection of acquaintances, they will know the best banks.
I believe that there are a number of Americans who are spending some time traveling on those 6 month travel visas as they decide where they will ultimately land. While visiting countries, I am fairly sure some are scouting job prospects informally.
I should also mention that I never found a paying job in Canada. I was lucky enough to be able to continuing employment on a contract basis until I retired. I am not sure that my experience is particularly useful now. But traveling on a visitor's visa gives one time to plan and consider if you would really be comfortable in Canada or elsewhere.
That's an amazing story. It gave me chills. I wonder if moms corner the market on this stuff? It's lucky that you left when you did. I don't know if you could talk your way in these days. From what I hear, it's getting harder and harder to emigrate almost everywhere. And thanks for the link to V-Dem. I didn't know about it and it looks very interesting.
Thanks for this. Similar current situation. I started working on Portuguese residency three days after Trumf was elected in 2016. I think I had some similar education after spending a year in Lisbon as a young adult shortly after 38 years of dictatorship ended. I also had the dream of not being able to get to an international flight for YEARS. I don’t have it anymore. My passport application goes in next June. Thanks for writing.
Hubby and I moved to Portugal in 2022 and we love it here. If I had been able to stay in the US, I would have stayed where we were, but lack of accessible/ affordable healthcare was too great. I'm glad you listened to your instincts. They are coalesced information.
Thanks so much for reading. Happy to hear you're enjoying Portugal. At this time of year, I often wonder why I wasn't smart enough to go somewhere warmer, but I guess that ship has sailed.
I didn’t have the premonitions you had, and Trump wasn’t a factor, but after years of volunteering in a small village in Mexico, I considered living here. On January 10, 2016, as my plane touched down in Mexico, I had the overwhelming feeling of “I’m home.” The deteriorating situation in the U.S. was unforeseen at the time and now another reason that I feel fortunate to live here.
That's beautiful and it's a credit to you that you honored the feeling. For me, almost all of Europe is home and I have no idea why and I no longer care. That's just how it is. The psyche has spoken!
Thank you for reading and for the note. My psychotherapist friend says to ignore intution is to ignore six million years of evolution talking to you. I like that one.
As a Canadian living not far from the U.S. border, I am deeply confused by what happened on Nov.5th. For the life of me, I can’t understand how that man got re-elected. Regardless, Laura, you were wise to listen to your intuition. Thank you for your story. I’m looking forward to much more from you!
Thank you for reading. I very much share your confusion. I've heard it said that Canada must feel like it's living in the apartment over the meth lab. I imagine that's probably about right.
Haha, well said, Laura. That joke emerged following the 2016 election. It should have died a long time ago. The problem with meth labs is they can blow up. And that apartment will then become matchwood! I’d love to get your take on how Swedish society regards its older population. Our podcast series, The Art 2 Aging, would be very interested in hearing your thoughts!
Funny you should ask. I deleted it when I moved here in a burst of euphoria. Then, last week, I tried to reconstruct it in case someone like you asks. At present, I have zero connections, which looks a little sad. You are welcome to be my first.
Are there any podcasts about Americans who have moved to Europe for political reasons? I come across many such stories on Substack and find them very interesting. I think this influx of people could be very good news for Europe in the turbulent years ahead.
I think there’s a very dangerous moment in a country with a two-party system when people become disillusioned with Party A and vote for a new dawn with Party B, who then fail to deliver because the problems are so entrenched. That’s exactly where the UK is now and the success of the hard-right Reform party in the recent local elections is a worrying sign that we might be in our own Biden bubble.
I am Swedish-American who has lived here for 55 years today. Sweden is not a socialist experiment but instead it's a result of the Common Sense ( not the Gop-version) Moral, Compassion and Democracy that's seems to have flied out of the WH front door.
Sweden really has a functioning social network that enable us to enjoy free Healthcare, 15 months of maternity leave where the father has to use at least three months, 80% sickpay from day 2, daycare, school including up to university, unemployment and a sufficient pension that allows us to live our last days in comfort. Of course all systems have problems but our community handles it with a true sense of being there to help those in need.
I hope that you and your family flourish in Sweden and that you can help to share the message of the meaning of life in a democracy where the many help and share to make life better for all people.
Ending with a text that I found on substack today that can provide us all as a guide to everyday life.
"For me, a veteran of protests since the Vietnam War, my radical act is to keep my little corner of the universe swept up and filled with kindness, compassion, and love. And to recognize what I can do something about and what I am powerless over."
Thank you for the comment and congratulations on your 55th anniversary here. I have enormous respect for Sweden’s earnest efforts to make life here work well for everyone. Of course it’s not perfect, but at least the government here is trying. I feel like I’m in safe hands, which is so important, especially as a mother. I was humbled when I got my Swedish passport. It means to world to me. How are you feeling about your Americaness these days?
I came to Sweden the first time 1967. I was eight and my parents wanted something similar to your situation. We lived here for a year before we went back to Chicago. Due to the fact that my dad injured his back and went thru surgery for a ruptured disc and the possibility for him to be drafted to the Vietnam War we returned after selling everything. I started school in 3rd grade and unfortunately my teacher was a Nixon hater. More than once he blamed me for the state of what was going on...
At that point I started to not mention my American origin and did so for at least 30 years. That has changed to where I am proud of being a US citizen but the ongoing lunacy that is evolving has once again stopped me from coming out in discussions where the state of the States are discussed. I hope that for the future of our sons and their families we will see a new beginning with less hate an destruction and more of cooperation between people.
So, to answer your question, I am a proud Swedish-American but for the moment completely appalled by the way the current administration is demolishing most of the social network that is the backbone of society.
This was not only a great read but really hit me because my history is not much different. We left the US in 2019. I knew the year before that we had to get out for the same reasons. It seeps into you gradually until the dam breaks and you suddenly say to yourself Holy Shit, there is no possible good outcome from this here. Thank you for writing this. Most people thought we were crazy too. We moved to Costa Rica after a year of research and preparation and it’s the best decision we’ve ever made.
Thank you so much for reading. Intuition is powerful and mysterious! Because my intuition made this decision for me, I’m still analyzing it, six years later! It sounds like you have no regrets. Good to hear.
Intuition has driven my whole life. It may be impossible to analyze it. The closest analogy might be the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in physics where the location and momentum of a particle cannot be determined at the same time. Perhaps intuition and causality cannot happen simultaneously in thought.
Interesting read, very personal. How do we make the decision to leave everything - family, friends, job, daily routines, controlled environment? For blind love, for a better future, for more money, for warmer weather, for greener pasture, for a lifetime adventure? Or for the sake of just leaving? We all have our reasons that we can explain,
or not. It doesn't matter. There is no need to rationalize this decision. Making the decision of leaving is the easy bit. The real human adventure starts when you arrive in an unknown country and you feel like a newborn and realize that you begin a new life. Litteraly.
I found this somewhat chilling to read, perhaps because I have shared so many of the premonitory feelings but at age 87 am too old to act on them. As a granddaughter of Norwegian immigrants (my pre-marital last name was Hammersberg) I have often felt yearnings for a homeland I have visited but never lived in. And like so many, I feel a great sadness for this country, which held out such hope for my grandparents.
I feel the same way. It’s heartbreaking. I would love to hear about your premonitions. You must have seen so much in 87 years!
With respect, I have a different view. I study resistance to authoritarianism. I am focused on the phases of autocratic actions vs. breakthrough (per Balint Magyar). We are not at breakthrough w Trump 2.0 — not yet. Ans the more we resist, the more we show authoritarian defiance, the less he can claim a sovereign power. Narratives matter. Americans are opposed in greater numbers by the day….
To me, the more pressing question we face in the US is: how do we know when it’s the time to stay?
Because no one will save America but Americans. Us. The time to stay is when you still can fight back, when you can exercise the very ideals you care about: being able to speak out. Now is that time. So while others may elect to leave, now is the time to stay and unite w others and fight back so we can have country to return to.
Not everyone faces the same risks: I understand why a trans American needs greater safety. But if you can speak out here, you are still expressing free speech. You, we, must exercise abd defend such rights.
Suggest everyone read Gene Sharp. Gather your courage and organize resistance. Now is the time. We need strategists especially.
AC
Resisting Project 2025
I think a lot of people will suffer further.
"Pay attention when things start to change." This is an absolutely chilling and crucial call to action.
It certainly stayed with me and for all those years, too.
Things are changing…
"But in the time it took to prepare our move, my friends said they didn’t understand why I leaving. Wasn’t this a sweeping overreaction, they asked? Was I maybe allowing my feelings about Trump to warp my brain? I wondered the same thing. But every time I checked, my intuition said it louder: Get out."
This happened when we announced we were leaving, too. Though most of my friends understood, my parents and extended family did not. They said we had "Trump derangement syndrome;" that we were over-reacting.
But then they also said that when I said 15 years ago that there were too many unregulated guns owned by too many unstable people. And I didn't want to live in a society where you were expected as a normal responsible person to keep a firearm at the ready in self-defense.
They turn a determined blind eye to the crumbling infrastructure, underfunded schools, the outrageous cost of higher ed, the opioid crisis and number of overdose deaths of their friends' kids, even their friends ... COVID was a hoax until it wasn't, it was overblown until healthy people they knew got it and died. On and on...
I didn't realize until after this election how much I so wanted to be wrong about things--to have been exaggerating and paranoid.
But everything I have been worried about for so long has come to pass, to happen and then have become normalized. I really fear for what's coming...for the whole world.
I still hope I am wrong.
I hope you’re wrong, too, but I doubt you are. In any case, you definitely sound like my kind of person.
@Cathi Harris - your letter hit me in my gut. I want out! I want away! But I can't!
Once again, so much of this resonated. My gut started to tell me to leave where I was (Eastern Washington State) in 2019, and my consciousness caught up as the community heated up in early 2020. Getting out of the country entirely wasn't within the realm of possibility or consideration yet. But in 2020 we moved from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast Coast, as far away as I could get then from the danger I felt myself in. By 2022, I was done with the whole U.S. All the alarm bells were ringing in my head. I also saw the parallels to late-stage USSR, as well as to pre-WWII Germany. I felt like everything was collapsing around me at an accelerated pace. We took a trip to France and the UK in the fall and we knew it was time to GTFO. About 5 months later, we were living in Portugal.
People should trust their intuitions more. We evolved to have these instinctual feelings as a matter of survival. I think the gut feelings are the shortcuts our subconscious makes, parsing through massive amounts of informtimen and stimuli we don't have time to think through when we are in imminent danger. We have been taught to be too reliant on intellect alone, and to ignore feelings, but both are essential.
*information
I completely agree about intuition. It's so much smarter than logic (and faster!) yet it has this woo-woo reputation. I've been thinking about this article since I wrote it and I don't feel I've quite pinpointed what started to feel wrong in 2018ish. There was a turn but I can't seem to fully summon it. What was going on with you in 2019?
I had been involved in politics since roughly 2012 (became Dem party chair in 2015 or so and then a candidate for state legislature), a Planned Parenthood board member, and the founder and president of a secular humanist / atheist nonprofit. I was very engaged in activism and advocacy for various issues at the local, state, and even national level, so I had a heightened awareness of micro- and macro-level right-wing discussion and activities.
It's important to note I also have the added background of having been raised in an Evangelical home and was sent to Christian Nationalist private school in the South, so I knew what they believe, what they want, and how they talk.
In my political life, I interacted more often than I'd have liked with some very radical Christian Nationalist personalities, some of whom were elected officials already, others who were running for office or politically engaged. Even as a Dem candidate, I was invited to attend local Libertarian meetings and events, and I did, because I was an anti-establishment Dem who wanted to change the party from within, and I shared much in common with the left side of the libertarians, but I got a lot of exposure to the right-leaning libertarians, as well.
Anyhow, because of this background and life as a public figure, I sensed the right becoming more and more emboldened and strong even before Trump got elected the first time. It's the reason I felt he might actually win and why I felt like practically the only person in my social circle who wasn't surprised and in shock when he did. I really did not like Clinton and thought she was a disastrous choice as a candidate.
I had been closely following (and writing about and leading protests against) legal cases such as the Hobby Lobby decision, the civil rights clashes between Christians and LGBTQ people, including a big case that developed in my town and involved two dear friends who ended up in a protracted legal battle with a Christian florist who refused to sell flowers for their wedding in violation of state anti-discrimination statutes, and led the resistance against every attempt to install Christian hegemony in our public schools, city councils, etc., of which there were MANY attempts. It was intensifying and they were relentless.
The other change I was taking note of was the rapid intensification of the frequency and severity of wildfires. It was becoming a seasonal given.
And all of this was BEFORE the right-wing militias began patrolling the streets and harassing people in 2020 and all the antifa paranoia that erupted in the summer of BLM protests. Basically, I saw the region I was living in as a powder keg just waiting for the spark. It took moving to Georgia to realize the whole country was in deep trouble.
Thank you for this. I know what you mean by this idea of emboldenment. The cultural tone changed and very quickly. You were really in the trenches! And you have such a nuanced perspective. I’m so glad you found your way here to share it.
It really did change, and fast. I think we've been headed in this direction at an accelerating pace since 2008, but the seeds leading to that financial crisis were planted in the long-existing soil. There is DEEP discontentment across the political spectrum, and rightfully so. The difference lies in who regular people believe is to blame.
@JD Goulet - I like your writing and impressed with all the things you have organized, and all the things you have accomplished. With news moving so quickly, do you think there is ANY chance we can convince the electorate, but especially politicians that the timing is right, the timing is now, for a One Payer Healthcare Ststem - or Medicare for all. At 72, I live with the shadow of medical costs-induced poverty hanging over my head, and I can't get rid of the fear.
This was so compelling to read, and really resonates with me, as does much of your writing. I’ve lived in Norway for 11 years and moved here from the U.S. not to “get out” but to follow my Norwegian boyfriend, now-husband. It’s hard to know if I would try to leave if I hadn’t already been led abroad, but I can’t overstate how grateful I am that I ended up here. What keeps me up at night now (and basically since 2016) is something akin to survivor’s guilt. Especially with having very young kids and seeing how impossible it is to be a parent in the U.S. right now compared with here, along with the political turmoil there, the general sense of hostility, unchecked capitalism, etc, I am happy that my immediate family is safe and thriving in Norway but I fear so much for my family and friends back home. And I guess I still have enough patriotism in me that seeing what’s happening to my (first) home country is just so sad. Anyway, thank you for your perspectives and “hei / hej” from across the border!
Hej back to you! I know exactly what you mean. The guilt really stings. I'm glad you're safe in Norway and that your kids can grow up without all that stress. I hope we will all be ok.
I am an American expat who fled to Canada after recurrent nightmares telling me to run. In my case, I was fleeing from ongoing post divorce litigation. When the judge said he was reducing my ex's child support obligations by $5/month and asked what I wanted, I told him I wanted to be able to move to Canada with my Canadian spouse and minor children. The Judge agreed and I was on the plane the next day, talking my way across the border with the promise that I would submit immigration papers before my visitor's visa ran out. This was all pre-Trump 1. Oddly, the reason that I paid attention to my dreams was my ex's mother's story about how she had been saved from certain death by Hitler's hands when her own mother had had dreams of putting Jewish daughter with a limp caused by polio on a ship heading to the US and followed up on the dreams. Life goes on and I will not return to the US. It is not the country I left.
Trump's second victory reflects profound feelings of insecurity by a majority of Americans, who understand that the world is changing in significant ways and who don't feel that their communities or the US economy will support them when needed. Unfortunately, the US is not alone in this trend.
The V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden (https://www.v-dem.net/) is finding a growing number of electoral democracies are becoming autocracies by changes to the law and through the courts. Canada will have elections soon enough and I am hoping it bucks the autocratization trend.
Ella - My intuition is screaming “leave.” Canada is my top pick because I can maintain my current job which is 100% remote and I can easily transport my large dog there. It’s a doable 17 Hour drive from where I live. But after scouring the Canadian Immigration website, the only two options for permanent residency/citizenship are marrying a Canadian or qualifying as a Skilled Worker and getting lucky enough to get hired by a Canadian employer, which in my case, would be a University since I’m an academic advisor. I was able to find the NOC code for academic advisor, but I couldn’t tell what TEER it is. Getting hired feels like a long shot. Would you mind sharing how you did it? Or maybe you’re just using the tourist visa and leaving every 6 mos to renew it? I heard border agents are cracking down on that. Anything you could share is much appreciated.
Laurel, My situation was quite different from yours. I was married to a Canadian at the time I crossed the border and the relationship between Canada and the US was quite different. The big hurdle for citizenship in my case came down to health care. I was older at the time I entered and had asthma. Countries which have some form of state sponsored health care have a vested interest in excluding those who are older and/or who may not be in excellent condition.
Of course you are welcome to visit Canada. To prove that you are visiting, you may need to have a copy of your house deed or lease to prove to border agents that you intend to return to the United States. You should of course do what most tourists do which is to obtain travel insurance for the duration of your stay. You may also want to have a definite place to stay in Canada, a six month lease. (Border agents want to know that you are not just disappearing into Canada.) You should make sure to have an international vaccination certificate for your dog and that s/he complies with Canadian requirements in terms of tests. (I think Canada now requires heartworm and other tests).
Since you are on a visitor's visa, you should be enjoying all that Canada has to offer and not be "working". Before leaving, you may want to search your connections to see if any of your friends, relatives or acquaintances has the names of people in your field or people who would be fun to connect with in Canada. In particular, it might be helpful to find Canadian "snowbirds" who know the ins and outs of migrating between two countries...many of whom may not be going to the US now and may provide you with useful information.
One final thought, depending on your location, you may be able to open a bank account with a subsidiary of a Canadian bank operating in the US. If you open a bank account with the same Canadian bank in Canada, you should be able to transfer monies between the US and Canada easily. You might want to arrange for any regularly deposited checks to go into your account in the US subsidiary of the Canadian bank to have ready access to the funds. If you have a Canadian snowbird in your collection of acquaintances, they will know the best banks.
I believe that there are a number of Americans who are spending some time traveling on those 6 month travel visas as they decide where they will ultimately land. While visiting countries, I am fairly sure some are scouting job prospects informally.
I should also mention that I never found a paying job in Canada. I was lucky enough to be able to continuing employment on a contract basis until I retired. I am not sure that my experience is particularly useful now. But traveling on a visitor's visa gives one time to plan and consider if you would really be comfortable in Canada or elsewhere.
That's an amazing story. It gave me chills. I wonder if moms corner the market on this stuff? It's lucky that you left when you did. I don't know if you could talk your way in these days. From what I hear, it's getting harder and harder to emigrate almost everywhere. And thanks for the link to V-Dem. I didn't know about it and it looks very interesting.
Thanks for this. Similar current situation. I started working on Portuguese residency three days after Trumf was elected in 2016. I think I had some similar education after spending a year in Lisbon as a young adult shortly after 38 years of dictatorship ended. I also had the dream of not being able to get to an international flight for YEARS. I don’t have it anymore. My passport application goes in next June. Thanks for writing.
It's so interesting how the unconscious talks to us. Wishing you the best of luck with your plans!
Many thanks. I’ll keep reading. Appreciate the thoughts of a fellow traveler.
Hubby and I moved to Portugal in 2022 and we love it here. If I had been able to stay in the US, I would have stayed where we were, but lack of accessible/ affordable healthcare was too great. I'm glad you listened to your instincts. They are coalesced information.
Thanks so much for reading. Happy to hear you're enjoying Portugal. At this time of year, I often wonder why I wasn't smart enough to go somewhere warmer, but I guess that ship has sailed.
I didn’t have the premonitions you had, and Trump wasn’t a factor, but after years of volunteering in a small village in Mexico, I considered living here. On January 10, 2016, as my plane touched down in Mexico, I had the overwhelming feeling of “I’m home.” The deteriorating situation in the U.S. was unforeseen at the time and now another reason that I feel fortunate to live here.
That's beautiful and it's a credit to you that you honored the feeling. For me, almost all of Europe is home and I have no idea why and I no longer care. That's just how it is. The psyche has spoken!
I have similar premonitions, too. So glad I'm not the only one who listens to them. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙏🏼
Thank you for reading and for the note. My psychotherapist friend says to ignore intution is to ignore six million years of evolution talking to you. I like that one.
Oh ... that is so good.
As a Canadian living not far from the U.S. border, I am deeply confused by what happened on Nov.5th. For the life of me, I can’t understand how that man got re-elected. Regardless, Laura, you were wise to listen to your intuition. Thank you for your story. I’m looking forward to much more from you!
Thank you for reading. I very much share your confusion. I've heard it said that Canada must feel like it's living in the apartment over the meth lab. I imagine that's probably about right.
Haha, well said, Laura. That joke emerged following the 2016 election. It should have died a long time ago. The problem with meth labs is they can blow up. And that apartment will then become matchwood! I’d love to get your take on how Swedish society regards its older population. Our podcast series, The Art 2 Aging, would be very interested in hearing your thoughts!
That sounds like important work. Let me give it some thought.
Great! Are you on LinkedIn, Laura?
Funny you should ask. I deleted it when I moved here in a burst of euphoria. Then, last week, I tried to reconstruct it in case someone like you asks. At present, I have zero connections, which looks a little sad. You are welcome to be my first.
Happy to be! But I only see two Laura Skovs on LI. One works in IT and the other is a J student in Copenhagen…
Are there any podcasts about Americans who have moved to Europe for political reasons? I come across many such stories on Substack and find them very interesting. I think this influx of people could be very good news for Europe in the turbulent years ahead.
I think there’s a very dangerous moment in a country with a two-party system when people become disillusioned with Party A and vote for a new dawn with Party B, who then fail to deliver because the problems are so entrenched. That’s exactly where the UK is now and the success of the hard-right Reform party in the recent local elections is a worrying sign that we might be in our own Biden bubble.
Welcome to Sweden!
I am Swedish-American who has lived here for 55 years today. Sweden is not a socialist experiment but instead it's a result of the Common Sense ( not the Gop-version) Moral, Compassion and Democracy that's seems to have flied out of the WH front door.
Sweden really has a functioning social network that enable us to enjoy free Healthcare, 15 months of maternity leave where the father has to use at least three months, 80% sickpay from day 2, daycare, school including up to university, unemployment and a sufficient pension that allows us to live our last days in comfort. Of course all systems have problems but our community handles it with a true sense of being there to help those in need.
I hope that you and your family flourish in Sweden and that you can help to share the message of the meaning of life in a democracy where the many help and share to make life better for all people.
Ending with a text that I found on substack today that can provide us all as a guide to everyday life.
"For me, a veteran of protests since the Vietnam War, my radical act is to keep my little corner of the universe swept up and filled with kindness, compassion, and love. And to recognize what I can do something about and what I am powerless over."
I hear you. In fact, I’m starting to hear more and more reports of Americans taking shit in Europe. It’s to be expected but still very upsetting.
Thank you for the comment and congratulations on your 55th anniversary here. I have enormous respect for Sweden’s earnest efforts to make life here work well for everyone. Of course it’s not perfect, but at least the government here is trying. I feel like I’m in safe hands, which is so important, especially as a mother. I was humbled when I got my Swedish passport. It means to world to me. How are you feeling about your Americaness these days?
I came to Sweden the first time 1967. I was eight and my parents wanted something similar to your situation. We lived here for a year before we went back to Chicago. Due to the fact that my dad injured his back and went thru surgery for a ruptured disc and the possibility for him to be drafted to the Vietnam War we returned after selling everything. I started school in 3rd grade and unfortunately my teacher was a Nixon hater. More than once he blamed me for the state of what was going on...
At that point I started to not mention my American origin and did so for at least 30 years. That has changed to where I am proud of being a US citizen but the ongoing lunacy that is evolving has once again stopped me from coming out in discussions where the state of the States are discussed. I hope that for the future of our sons and their families we will see a new beginning with less hate an destruction and more of cooperation between people.
So, to answer your question, I am a proud Swedish-American but for the moment completely appalled by the way the current administration is demolishing most of the social network that is the backbone of society.
This was not only a great read but really hit me because my history is not much different. We left the US in 2019. I knew the year before that we had to get out for the same reasons. It seeps into you gradually until the dam breaks and you suddenly say to yourself Holy Shit, there is no possible good outcome from this here. Thank you for writing this. Most people thought we were crazy too. We moved to Costa Rica after a year of research and preparation and it’s the best decision we’ve ever made.
Thank you so much for reading. Intuition is powerful and mysterious! Because my intuition made this decision for me, I’m still analyzing it, six years later! It sounds like you have no regrets. Good to hear.
Intuition has driven my whole life. It may be impossible to analyze it. The closest analogy might be the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in physics where the location and momentum of a particle cannot be determined at the same time. Perhaps intuition and causality cannot happen simultaneously in thought.
Interesting read, very personal. How do we make the decision to leave everything - family, friends, job, daily routines, controlled environment? For blind love, for a better future, for more money, for warmer weather, for greener pasture, for a lifetime adventure? Or for the sake of just leaving? We all have our reasons that we can explain,
or not. It doesn't matter. There is no need to rationalize this decision. Making the decision of leaving is the easy bit. The real human adventure starts when you arrive in an unknown country and you feel like a newborn and realize that you begin a new life. Litteraly.