Would I live abroad in a European Country for a few years, if given the opportunity? Yes.

Would I go indefinitely? I don't think so.

Would I put my ten year old in a boarding school? Never!

I have been living abroad (Ireland) now for 8-9 years. I am a dual citizen and decided to come over for a year and stayed ever since. The longer you stay away the less you miss from the U.S. to the point that when people offer to bring things back I cannot think of a single thing. Tootsie roolls were the last request as I could not think of anything else.

I don't feel the draw home as I still want to see other parts of the world. I am more of a Gypsy and would love to work for a year in Asia.

The hardest thing initially was the change in lifestyle i.e. no car less disposable income and less choices 8 years ago for ethnic food. On the other hand though I have a better quality of life in personal terms and would not trade it for the world.

I don't ever see myself returning to the U.S. I feel like a foreigner when I return home and it freaks me a bit. My accent is different as are my views,likes and tastes. I find that I cannot understand the new slang and people don't get my sense of humour. This has been happening subtly over the years and had come as a surprise to me when I last came home.

I never expected to stay away for so long but its been a great experience for me and will continue to be.

"The US will always be there and they can always go home."

That's easy to say in principal, but wait until you actually start thinking about the details. It's not near as easy as you think. There's big difference between mouthing the words and actually doing it. After living abroad for a while, you get this strange conflicted sense - your house and you neighborhood become your home. But yet the country is not your home. I was wanted come back to the familiar US but not to leave the local environment that had become my home. If you stay, you are home, but not home. If you come back to the US you then be home but not home. It all becomes very strange. You become rootless and homeless.

Absolutely! Yes! Oui! Si!

If favorable circumstances presented themselves, I think I would like to give it a try someday. And I would probably be sick of it after a few months...but you never know until you try.

I would certainly live abroad for a few years, especially while my kids are still young. What an experience for them! I have lived abroad for one year previously and am currently poking around at opportunities to go back.

To answer the question, why the Swiss boarding school when there are good schools in Milan, I don't know and will ask my niece. When she told me, I just assumed the schools were unavailable in Milan. I will press for more info.

I do know her 10 year old is a very smart girl who is taking advanced math courses and maybe that is the reason for the Swiss school. When I asked her how she felt about boarding school, she answered by saying she'll be starting in 7th grade and everyone else will be in their first year at that school so she won't be the new kid on the block. She will be home on weekends so perhaps that's why she's not opposed, but that may change when she is actually there.

In their case, her husband comes from a very small family and has always loved being in Europe working in a smaller office and having more autonomy. My niece also comes from a small family, closest to her mom who will visit frequently, so neither one has great attachment for the US. They see more positives than negatives. So they typify the "home is where you hang up your hat" couple. My niece already plans to hook up with ex-pats and that will satisfy her.

I say - go!! I have lived off and on inside and outside of the US since I was fourteen (now I'm 40) and am currently living in London. I've been here for about 10 years and was living in Tokyo before that. (And I have lived in a number of other countries as well). I suppose I am not a "deeply rooted in one town" person, though I've now lived longer in London than almost anywhere else. However, I don't consider that a price to pay for the enriched life I am living. Different people have different priorities. My brother, for example, still lives in the town we grew up in, I don't. Simple as that. There are some things I miss about the States: being close to my family, especially as my parents age; a certain spontaneity and warmth; decent zip-lock baggies... but overall, I love living here. The kids will become worldly, etc. and will be able to go to college in the US if they want. Many of my "American" friends here have children who are dual citizens and are perfectly happy iwth that. Indeed, what's wrong with being a global citizen? As for the boarding school, it is their choice - it wouldn't be mine, but it is not for me to say whether they appreciate the schools in Milan or not. Good luck to them.

In a heartbeat!

I'm an expat currently living in the Middle East. I've lived here in Kuwait for four years and lived in Saudi Arabia for three years prior to that.

I'd move to Europe in a NY second. What an opportunity! The chance to experience new cultures and see new places would be hard for me to resist.

I don't think in terms of permanence. Nothing is forever.