When did you settle down?

This morning, I had a meeting at the unemployment office (sigh!) which meant that I was out without Coco for a little while. I took advantage and did things I can't do when I'm with my little bundle of love: I took my coffee with me in a travel mug, sat down on the tram and listened to music on headphones. I absolutely adore listening to music on headphones, and I had forgotten how nice it is to just sit idly and watch everything go by out the window of the tram. It's the little things!

I got to thinking about how much Zurich is really our home. I mean, I am so "in the system" here. I'm visiting the unemployment and speaking hacking away at German while I'm there. We've reached the point where we know the local customs. Hurry up in the checkout line, don't arrive somewhere even two minutes late, have cash at all times. I feel comfortable in Zurich; I gave birth to my child here! And yet we are not settled here. It's too far from family; I'll probably never speak German well and we want Coco to have an American identity so we can relate to each other as a family all from the same culture. If she grows up here, she will be Swiss and J and I are not. We will always be American; no matter how long we stay. So staying here beyond five years just isn't an option. Yet for now, it feels like home. Isn't that funny? It seems odd to me, and yet there you go. That's just how it is. I'm okay with the idea that we are settled just for now. I don't find it unsettling in the least. ;)

I'm curious, when did you settle down? Or have you? What factors mattered the most to you in choosing a place to spend your life? Have you always stayed close to home, or have you lived in other places? I'd love to hear about your experiences in settling down. Please chime in! xo