Stocktaking

This post was meant to be put up on 1st March, 2011, and for some reason or another, remained a draft. Here it is, for anyone who is interested.


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Five years ago, at around this time of year, we stood at the brink of a brand new future together, Dot and I - a future that was uncertain, but one that seemed full of possibility and the promise of challenge and incredible excitement. We knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it was going to be one hell of a ride. In the three months just gone, we had married, moved countries, and were now going to move country again, but this time together. Many things had fallen into place and the stars had aligned themselves to bring us to this point and we couldn't wait to begin the onward journey.  

We moved to the UK on the 3rd of March, 2006, landing in Heathrow on a particularly cold winter's evening, made colder by the fact that everything was new and unfamiliar. Dot's cousins in Bristol opened up their home and their lives to us, and made us feel very welcome. We spent a week or so with them, commuting to Oxford by train every day, where Dot's job was. The job was unconventional and Oxford was gorgeous. We spent a week in a bed-and-breakfast inn run by a Norman Bates-ian landlord, while we looked for a place to call home. We were incredibly lucky and found a beautiful home to rent in a quiet, convenient suburb. We thought we'd give it six months, and ended up staying two years, after which we bought our own home further down the same road - talk about settling down in suburbia!

Our lives since 2006 have been full - there've been good things, great things, scary things, horrible things, but all in all it has been a fun ride. We've learned so many lessons, but most importantly, to not take anything for granted and to seize the day.  This country has become home and now we stand on the brink of another big, life-changing step - to be naturalised as British citizens. It's funny how something you didn't ever give much thought to, something that sat in the background as a possibility, and something you put a lot of human and material resources towards (sacrificing being close to family, financial security and familiarity) suddenly is within easy reach, but you find yourself questioning your reasons for wanting it. There is much to consider about where your loyalties may lie as a citizen of a country and how these loyalties are affecting or will affect the way you live your life in that country. There is much food for thought. 

As if all of this wasn't exciting enough, I'm very pleased to share with the few of you that still read my blog that we are expecting a baby, due at the end of March. 


Here we are again, standing at the brink of the great unknown, full of anticipation and excitement. See you on the other side!