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John Howard's avatar

Thank you, Carolyn, for sharing a very personal account of your relationship with the United States. You've been through a lot, both there and during your time in Europe.

You're right about that umbilical cord--it's been 16 years since we left the U.S., and before that I'd lived in Munich for a year. But I read the NYTimes daily (along with three other European papers) and anguish along with everybody else about the country's political trajectory.

On my father's side there's a long family history in America going back to the 17th century. My 3rd great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War, my great grandfather in the Civil War, my father in World War II. My mother was the daughter of Irish immigrants, my grandmother a French-speaking Acadienne from Nova Scotia. Those family ties are strong.

That umbilical cord isn't made solely of sentiment, however. Having spent two-thirds of my working lifetime in the US I'm financially invested as well. The value of USD makes a tangible difference to us (though I'm glad to have retirement income in Euro as well), and it seems like policies are all up in the air. Will I be able to continue to vote in 2026? Will it become more difficult to access assets in the US from outside the country? Who knows, but the uncertainties of this moment focus our attention on what's happening there more than even a few years ago.

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Pamela Clapp's avatar

Thank you so much for sharing this, Carolyn. It really is such a layered topic, and I’m struck by how many of us are navigating these trade-offs quietly. I’ll be thinking about your piece for a while. And bravo for the cool photos, they brought it to life.

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