About the Göçebe Blog

After my husband and I left Canada for Spain in 2023, his family lovingly called us Çingeneler–the Turkish word for Gypsies.
 
I had thought of calling this blog the Çingene Journals (ç being pronounced like j in Turkish), but decided not to because of the complex history of the term Gypsy. Although my extended family may use the term endearingly with us, I recognize that isn’t the same for everyone.
 
So as a nod to the family who welcomes me so lovingly, I decided to call this the Göçebe Blog–göçebe being a more neutral term, meaning nomad. I also like that, stripped of its accents and Turkish pronunciation, it could sound like Go, See, Be.
 
Although I travel and relocate fairly often, this isn’t about being a digital nomad.
 
Following traditional hunter-gatherer nomads, this is about going where there is more opportunity and a more suitable environment. As the environment changes, so is it time to assess whether it is time to move to a more suitable one.  
 
It’s about making intentional moves to live a life without constraints—constraints of other people’s expectations, constraints of location, constraints of your own unwillingness to pivot and change  
 
I have also always enjoyed the nice things in life, and have worked my butt off to afford those things.
 
You will find savviness in planning ahead and being smart about your move, but there is no frugality here. There are plenty of blogs and websites out there for anyone looking to travel or be a digital nomad for cheap. The same goes for starting a business on a shoestring.
 
What you will find here are stories of my intentional moves and the real work that goes behind each move, each decision, each adventure.
 
That means my wins, my losses and the reality of living a life…not radically wild, but perhaps just on the edges of normality.
 
It’s about sharing my life where I will go, see, and be.

~Julianna Yau Yorgan