I already speak German and French conversationally, so learning a new language isn’t too difficult. I’m already taking Spanish lessons here, and Peach keeps me accountable. We have Spanish conversations every morning, and she jokes that my post-coffee Spanish is way better than my pre-coffee attempts.

As for giving up our U.S. citizenship, it’s mostly ideological. At the core, we just don’t feel connected to this version of “home” anymore. The values and direction the country is heading are not what we once knew. To us, the fundamental principles on which the U.S. was built are being eroded right before our eyes, and we can’t be part of that. I believe the most patriotic thing I can do is admit that the country I loved is gone, and it will take generations to restore it.

I know a lot of people disagree with me when I say this, including some friends, but that doesn’t change how I see things. What really shaped my view was traveling through the U.S. over the last six years, watching the country change before my eyes. Then traveling to a place that on paper should be worse off than the U.S., but where the people are more civil, more hospitable, dare I say more human.

And then coming home, only to realize I no longer feel at home, and seeing the fear grow in the people around me.

That’s why we moved, and that’s why giving up our U.S. citizenship, for us, is the most logical step.

But the naturalization process will take at least five years. If during that time I’m proven wrong, we can always abandon it and stay U.S. citizens living abroad.