Whoa Oh! We're Half Way There!

Just like the poodle haired 80s rockers, we too are halfway there...

Half way! That's almost entirely where we are at.

Let me explain...

So our initial idea was a three year stint here in Malaysia, but with a weather eye for what it was like and how we were settling in. However, best laid plans and all that - we're leaving after two.

The next plan was to come home. However, best laid plans and all that - we're now staying away for another two, but this time relocating to a halfway point: The Middle East. Dubai to be precise.

So both geographically and in terms of time we are at the half way point.

This is a compromise. A compromise between coming home and staying here (okay, yeah it's nothing like coming home in that we're not going to be coming home, but you get the point) - it is almost exactly halfway between the two. It's also a compromise in terms of the experience that we were looking for - the Middle East was not really our target. Yes, it was on the radar, but it was not a top of the list destination, but if coming out here has taught me anything it is to keep an open mind and enjoy the experience for what it is.

So why are we not just coming home? Well... that's complicated and I can't really go into all of the details, but I can try to sketch the situation out as best I can.

Firstly, there's the matter of a job. I couldn't get one. UK schools seem pathologically averse to considering overseas candidates. Okay, I don't teach a shortage subject or live in a part of the UK where teacher shortages are an issue, but still I find it difficult to believe that I'm not worth considering just because I'm not there. We can video call, I can do demonstration lessons to camera, but it seems that UK schools are not set up for this or don't feel the need to bother.

Coming home with no guaranteed income stream was a deeply worrying prospect, especially given the current cost of living.

Secondly, we were not quite ready to give up exploring the world just yet. When we come home, it will be a permanent settlement - we aren't ever going to do something like this again. We will need to put down roots to give Thomas a stable adolescence so that he can forge new friendships and reforge old ones. We will need to be around as we meet the challenges of our own later adulthoods and the impact of time on our relatives. However, we have a few years yet and wanted to get the most out of this time as possible. 

Thirdly, the UK is not as an attractive a place as it was just before we left, particularly given the fact that we would not have jobs to come back to. The economic situation will impact us considerably and both Nicola and I are considering what the second phase of our careers will hold. We need to be in a stronger place financially and in terms of our personal and professional experience and resources if we are to come back and retain at least some part of our former lifestyle as well as support Thomas as he grows up and potentially goes on to higher education. 

All of the emotional, social and cultural positives about the UK remain as strong as they ever were - I'm a Northumbrian and this part of the world is home, but the financial situation and work environment shape our experience so profoundly at this point in our lives that if they are not as good as they need to be then it makes the return more difficult than the short term alternative. 

I will still miss the amazing coastline and hills of my home county and of course the people, but hopefully we will be back more frequently and when we return permanently we will be able to live in an way where we can spend more time with friends and family rather than spending so many hours chasing work in the way we have for so long. 

The beautiful North East coast - this is literally five minute's from my front door! How lucky are we?

Gratuitous lighthouse pictures - again, five minutes from the front door!

I wish I had the skills and the equipment to truly capture the scale and beauty of the Northumberland countryside, the vastness of the skies and the amazing quality of the light in this part of the world.

So, like most things in life, we have to compromise. It's not a bad compromise, all things considered. 

Two of the things I have learned from living in a completely different culture is a) to be open to different ways of life and b) that the way a country is perceived in one part of the world may well be very different from the reality. Okay, I'm not going to shift from my fundamentally socialist views about how the world should be, but I also accept that not everyone looks at the world the way I do for a variety of reasons.

So we are heading to a new and exciting prospect that will allow us to come home at Christmas more easily and, if absolutely necessary more often or at shorter notice. 

I'm looking forward to a different environment - experiencing the desert and the mountains of the Gulf States will be something new. I'm looking forward to a humidity level that means I can wear a t-shirt for a whole day! I'm looking forward to exploring the jaw dropping excesses of Dubai and Abu Dhabi - it will be an experience if nothing else. 

So here's to the next few weeks as we pack up and say goodbye to Malaysia and repack and say hello to Dubai!