10 Weeks and Counting
It's the Final Countdown...
Okay, not this final countdown but...
So here we are - ten weeks and counting; trust me, we are counting very carefully.
It is exactly 10 weeks before we touch down, not only on UK soil (we'll actually be doing this 9 weeks and 5 days from the time of writing), but back in my home town of Whitley Bay... well actually Seaton Sluice as Whitley Bay is too expensive to stay in!
I know it seems odd to suggest my home town is too expensive to stay in, especially given that we have a house in it, but we can't live in that house as it is currently occupied by a very nice family who are kindly paying our mortgage. The downside is that we need to rent a place at about double the cost of our rental income - this is the difference between the short and the long term let I guess.
We are currently in a frenzy of packing, listing, organising etc. As I wrote in an earlier post, adulting is mostly boring paperwork and chores and this is very true of an exciting move. In fact I can honestly say that few experiences I have had in life have brought quite as many annoying chores and tasks as moving internationally has - It's actually like having an additional job! And not a good one either.
Nothing we have to do is that onerous, just boring and irritating. This is probably why people put off big, life changing decisions like this. Not because they are scared, but because they know that the work you have to do is proportionate to the change that you make.
In the end it will all be fine, but right now, at the start of an immensely busy term with no break in it (we don't have a week off in the summer term like UK schools) it feels a bit... well, overwhelming.
There are contracts to cancel, banking to sort out, flights to book, shipping to organise, the house in the UK to manage (the tenancy with our current occupants is likely to end at the end of the school year), the house here to prepare, finances to calculate etc. Now add to that the fact that we are also then moving again to another country - this time the UAE!
What am I thinking?
This next few weeks are packed full - at least four of the remaining ten weekends are booked up with work activities for either Nic or myself or both in some cases. The rest of the time is going to be a blur of marking, handover work, packing and prepping.
Still - it has all been worth it and will all be worth it again.
We have learned to live lighter - we recognise that we can manage with little or no stuff. We can comfortably live out of suitcases and treasure the small things and experiences rather than fill our house with clutter. We will move in a far more streamlined and agile way and we have learned that we can adapt to circumstances and situations that were way beyond our prior experience.
The final sprint to the finish line should still afford us some chance to appreciate this amazing island and country and we'll make the most of any opportunities that come our way, but for now it's heads down and get on with it!
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