I could make a list of all the things I am looking forward to (there are many!) once I make the big move and start a (very) new chapter in life. I know without a doubt there is much I will gain. A life with the man I want to spend all my days with. The excitement, the newness of change, the chance to reinvent what I do and where I live, new cultural references, family-in-law, new friends, new food, new language, challenges, achievements, and more than I can conceive of presently.
In the balance of things, I also realize that there is much that I am leaving behind. As I reflect a bit today on this, please know that I am not doing so from a standpoint of regret for my decision to uproot. I am simply acknowledging the reality of what I will be giving up in the process. These things run the gamit from painful to mildly annoying or amusing, and from significant to trivial.
Here are a few of those things:
Serious things:
• My 3 amazing, adorable nephews! There is nothing more uplifting than time spent in their company.
• Having family nearby and familial events or milestones
• Proximity of current friends
• My known security (my career, and all I’ve achieved and built here)
Less Serious things:
• Supermarkets that stay open late or 24 hours (even on Sunday!)
• MEXICAN FOOD!!!!!!! (this almost went in the serious category)
• Walk-in closets (!)
• Having my own bathroom (battle of the toilet lid begins!)
• Driving on the right
• Thanksgiving
• PBS (However, I’m gaining BBC)
• Ice as a matter of course in drinks (including iced tea!), and American lemonade
• Air conditioning (A tells me I won’t miss this but we’ll see)
• Cheap gas (petrol)
• American-style dryers and having a separate laundry room
• Did I mention MEXICAN FOOD? (no offense, but curry just isn’t the same)
I know I haven’t thought of or listed everything. I can’t possibly know yet how it will feel. I’m sure I’ll have a good deal more to say on this as I experience the process over time.
I think I’ll go have a taco while I can…
It's hard to uproot - even if you really want to!!! We have 24 hour supermarkets!! You will regret the BBC!!! Oh, and the Mexican food, we do have it here, but it's way better in the US!! You can get he American style washers and dryers here, I have them!!! So it's not all bad!!!
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Thank you for the comment and the encouragement. :) I hope I didn't come across as negative - there are lots of trade-offs in life but this one I'm looking forward to overall. :) Nice to know about the washers and dryers though... food for thought!
ReplyDeleteNew beginnings are exciting and sometimes challenging. My motto in life is to just go with the flow!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteOh we are alike! That said, you'll be fine:
ReplyDelete- Mexican food: you'll learn to cook your own. With help from http://www.lupepintos.com. I prefer homemade Mexican now!
- 24 hour supermarkets: you'll have a nearby Tesco that never closes. If we have one in the middle of the Highlands, yours can't be that far away.
- Walk-in-closets: frankly, you'll have a better wardrobe. You must edit your clothes, so you end up buying only the stuff that makes you look fabulous.
- own bathroom: We bought a self-closing toilet seat at B&Q. It has saved these arguments!
- Thanksgiving: I've celebrated it in 6 countries now - what a fantastic way to get friends together! (We can celebrate it together this year!)
- BBC - far superior to PBS - and PBS is available online.
- Driving on the right: Well, I failed my UK driving test twice before passing. You can't do worse than that. (Yes, I have been driving since I was 15.)
- American lemonade: very easy to make!
- AC: A is right. You won't miss it. And you'll notice your skin is better without all the fake air around.
- Cheap gas: makes you walk more. And the mileage on cars is usually better as they're smaller. We can make it down to Edinburgh and back on one tank of £40 petrol. Or you take the train. :)
- Dryers: Probably the only thing I miss, but they are awful for the environment! And the fabric softeners here are brilliant with towels.
Is that it? Piece of cake! You'll be brilliant. :)