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True StoriesRuth Halcomb:
Author Founds  Ruth Halcomb has become an intrepid globetrotter and
information gatherer for others who, like herself, think about living abroad. From her
home in Santa Fe, NM, she published Network for Living Abroad newsletter and runs www.liveabroad.com, both devoted to the subject of
living outside the U.S.
Ruth started out as a writer and editor for trade magazines and in-house corporate publications, then she became a freelance writer for over three decades. Now 64, she still thinks of herself as a writer, although she now spends more and more time on the Web site. As she says, "My life hasn't had an abrupt transition. Instead it keeps evolving, sometimes doubling back but always changing." Here's her story: About 10 years ago when I was still living in Studio City, California, I met a couple planning to retire to Formentera, an island in the Balearics off Spain. Formentera is the smallest in the group that includes Majorca. Ironically, Formentera was where my first husband and I had planned to go in order to escape New York in the early 1960s. We had even booked passage on a Yugoslav freighter, but canceled in order to move to California. I'd always wondered if I'd gone in the wrong direction, literally as well as figuratively, especially since we separated a couple of years later. By 1964, I was the single mother of a son and could not fit travel, much less my other dream - living abroad - into my life. I had lived overseas once before, as a student at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I was in the initial group of students in the Antioch Abroad program. I studied French language and literature in Besancon, France. Even before the age of jet travel, I knew there was a wider world out there. The career that sustained my son and me was writing. Before leaving New York I had worked on the house organ for AIG, the large international insurance group. Later, In Los Angeles and San Francisco, I worked on house organs and in advertising. I kept getting laid off from ad copy writing jobs, and soon was writing freelance. I wrote copy about gemstones, Arabian horse insurance, you name it, in addition to fashion and furnishings. For me the magic part of freelance was the "free" aspect: making my own hours, choosing my own subjects and going on tangents that yielded more personal benefits than actual profits. I started writing magazine articles about the subjects that interested me. When my son was little, I wrote about child development for Parents' Magazine. When money worries plagued me, as they often did, I wrote about finances for Modern Bride and other publications. When I saw the big changes that were happening in women's lives, I wrote several books that were published in paperback, and one, Women Making It, Patterns and Profiles of Success which was first published in hardcover by Atheneum then in paperback by Ballantine. Soon I was writing about women and success for Mademoiselle, Working Woman and other magazines. I could almost brag that I avoided a regular job all those years. However, in the late 1980s when I was already over 50, I briefly became a stockbroker and financial planner. After giving out all that good advice, shouldn't I start getting paid for it? I was still new to the business in 1987 when the crash hit and my clients scattered like insects hit by a bug bomb. I went back to writing, and one of my next stories was for Family Circle on the best places to retire in the U.S. After meeting the couple planning to go to Formentera, I began researching retiring abroad and found there was very little information available. One of the few knowledgeable people was Jane Parker, founder of Lifestyle Explorations, a company that offered tours to foreign retirement havens. Jane introduced dozens of people to overseas living before she herself retired, and willingly shared knowledge and contacts with me. Wondering if there were others interested in living abroad (I wanted to avoid the "r" word), I placed an ad in LA Weekly, "Greener Pastures Abroad - Let's Form a Network." Soon the most interesting people began calling me. I couldn't wait to get them together in my living room, a risky thing to do perhaps, but it didn't occur to me at the time. I scheduled a meeting and we divided into small groups to talk about Europe, Latin America and Asia. The group went on meeting, and the stories and resources people shared were so interesting that I wanted to write about them. No magazines or newspapers were especially interested in the subject, so I put together a small newsletter. The group grew, and eventually started meeting in ethnic restaurants, with scheduled speakers. The newsletter grew, too, and desktop publishing made it possible to produce it on a larger scale. At the end of 1992, I got a business licence and started sending out press releases. A very small item in the Washington Post and subsequently in papers all over the U.S. brought hundreds of new member/ subscribers. Whenever possible, I'd match people with other people so they could "network" at a distance about living overseas. This has always been the mission of the network, putting people with people. Returning from overseas can be traumatic and disorienting, and people need to talk about what they've experienced. Who better to talk to than others planning to go overseas? They hang on every word as I did (and still do!). Now, at last, I could begin traveling again. I wanted to stay with families as much as possible, so I joined SERVAS, the New York based organization which facilitates home stays. My first trip back to Europe was to France, Spain and Portugal. On another European trip I visited the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, and a few years later Ireland and England. I also made trips to Costa Rica, Mexico and Belize. Most recently I went to Brazil with Friendship Force, an Atlanta based organization, staying with families in Sao Paulo and the small town of Sao Miguel do Iguasu. Instead of moving overseas, in 1998 I moved from the Studio City house where I'd lived for 24 years to Santa Fe. This wonderful, small city more than meets my need for a place that's stimulating and different, so that I'm somewhat less eager to travel now. I'm learning Portuguese in anticipation of return visits to Brazil. Santa Fe is also a great setting for gathering information and meeting people with international interests, and for balancing the hours at the computer with time outdoors, gardening and walking, and being with people. The challenge now is finding time for all the things I want to do! I still publish Network for Living Abroad newsletter in hard copy, although increasing numbers of people receive an e-mail edition. Our Web site, www.liveabroad.com, launched in late 1999, features a message board and brings together many more people from all over the world. I guess this is what my life is about, bringing people together with other people in as many ways as possible. And yes, I'm happy to say, the group in Los Angeles still meets. Getting Started Ruth Halcomb Servas www.servas.org
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