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| Stonehenge this past Sunday. |
Recently, a friend of mine from way back in my Peace Corps days moved to London. It has been fun reconnecting. We’ve only seen each other a few times in random New York City sightings over the past 15 years and now here we are both in England. Dave and I broke the news to him a couple weeks ago that we are leaving England at the end of the school year to go back to the states, and he was floored. You see, we had just talked in the beginning December about how hard the transition had been and that we were now having a hard time imagining heading back to the US after just the one year. But, a lot can change in a few weeks.
My friend also chuckled as he reminded Dave and I how glorious and happy our holiday video card was when, in reality, we’ve had one of the hardest years of our marriage and as a family. He said he loved the video but couldn’t help thinking of all we had just complained about and shared when last we saw him. It’s all there in the blogs. Well, most of it. Fleas in our house, visits to doctors, bank problems, hitting a bicyclist, no social life, stress stemming from a variety of transitional and unforeseen changes and problems... Did I mention a flat tire?, etc. He’s right. It has been a really hard year, and we’re only just over half-way through.
So there’s the bombshell for those of you who haven’t heard. We are, indeed, coming back. Dave loves his job in the Twin Cities and working remotely has been less than ideal. He tends to work U.K. AND U.S. hours and sometimes stays up after I’ve gone to bed just to take a conference call or make sure he has input from a meeting. I feel like he never stops working. Plus, he’s stuck in our house all day, save the random trip to the gym or bike ride, and he hasn’t had the opportunity to make a ton of UK buddies. Okay, I did set him up on one blind man-date and it went well, but they just weren’t ready to make a commitment! ;)
I’ve enjoyed my workplace, but I have to be honest in that I need more of a challenge. I have a caseload of eight wealthy and predominantly white students and they don’t need me in the way my students in the states needed me. I’m used to working with much larger classes of racially and economically diverse students. My passion feels like it has been on hold this year. Plus, I’m used to working with teens and the little ones are cute, but I need more angst!
And to top it all off, K1 and K2 miss their grandparents and other family and friends deeply and I know they are missed right back. I knew this part would be a challenge, but I wasn’t prepared with how difficult it would be to leave our support network when our kids are so young and land in a place where we know no one and hiring a babysitter costs WAY TOO MUCH MONEY. Just the other day, K1 broke down sobbing about how much he misses his grandparents and it was hard to watch. I’ve always been a leaver…someone who has had a relatively easy time picking up and just going somewhere else. But now, I realize and I finally feel deep down just how different it is when a family is involved.
Despite how much of an adventure this has been and how much closer we have grown as a family, I think I’m finally ready to settle down back in the Twin Cities where there is so much to be excited about. I have a new perspective and am greatly appreciative for the family and friends with whom I will soon reunite. I know none of us regret this move in the least.
It’s true, we’ll go back to nothing. No house. No cars. Barely any furniture. And no idea where K1 will go to Kindergarten.
Oh wait, I didn’t mention the best (and kind of the worst) part. Because of tax reasons and a little thing called the 330-day rule, we need to remain outside of the U.S.A for a total of at least 330 days over the course of one year. Our year started August 3rd when we landed in England. So…with Dave’s work trips back to the states, this means we will leave England at the end of June, but we will not be able to begin our Midwest dream until August. We need to spend most of the month of July in another country. Where you ask? Why, Mexico of course. My lovely Aunt and Uncle have recently retired there and have graciously invited us to stay. We’ll see how they feel about that invitation at the end of July! So, one more dose of culture-shock before we move back should set us straight for a while. I’m happy we’ll be with family and will feel safe and supported while we are couch surfing for an entire month. How old am I?
So there you have it. It’s all out there. And it feels right. A tricky and logistical nightmare, but right.
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| Can you find K2 in our Stonehenge selfie? |
