167 days - London edition

Photo courtesy of Google images. Thanks, Google images!

167.

Is a pretty random number! But that's how much time has passed since my last post. Did you miss me? I certainly miss you all from London. 

The process of writing never fails to make me feel better, but let's just say I have an on again, off again relationship with it.  

It's been an eventful five and a half months, after all.

Strasbourg, Amsterdam again (no dayumm this time), Brussels, Stuttgart, Oktoberfest. Hever Castle, a week in Kent, a crazy vegan AirBnb, an extremely grim AirBnb, Prague (where you must promise me, once in your life, to visit at Christmas), New Year's in London, finally joining a fight gym, organising a Hen's (oh dear do we get a topless waiter or a stripper?), a new volunteer role which, as it so happens, requires me to write. Three new contracts, currently on my third. 

I plan to write about all those places, but tonight I want to talk about the experience of living in a different country. 

...

Some of us moved a lot as kids. Changed schools, followed the army, been at the mercy of landlords. It can be unsettling. Unsettling describes the experience of hauling your arse to a different city and trying to settle in.

Then when we grow up we have all these choices - some of us travel. Some of us are adventurers, some of us prefer that to being responsible (but holy heck travel has definitely given me more of that). 

Some of us are professional escapees. I have been that escapee. What I failed to tell you in Every journey begins with a humble step is that this Kiwi left for Sydney because I was running from something... whoops! In the grand scheme of things, I'm so glad my hopes at that time weren't met. Every step can lead to surprising heights. 

Or, TBH some WTF, WTAF, some NSFW or for me, an entire government department of acronyms and all the typical project management buzzwords. Yay?

Living in a new country is a humble experience (says she who is blogging about it). But I find myself at the mercy of the universe, recruitment consultants, the weather, my own personal challenges, my bosses, economic insecurity and an expiry date on my visa. Typing this makes me cringe, because these are FWPs.  

All I can do is just soak it all up, and try and be grateful.

In these days of Facebook flashbacks, we are becoming very good at documenting our lives. Moving elsewhere has never made the past go away for me - whether it's Snapchat, FB or Google, it seems like every day is an anniversary of the past. Yes, I'm aware I can change my settings easily but it's so addictive, isn't it? 

Life in London has a routine to it now. I've been a bit busy making connections and am very grateful for the amazing friends I have made and the awesome person I live with. (I live 15 mins away from work!) There are connections here for me, some from the past and some from the present. My whānau and I have been sending gratitude lists to each other most days. This helps a lot.

I have kept doing the project management stuff, even with all the changes in contracts I never thought I would be able to have the opportunities I have had.

But on living in a new country, it isn't always easy.

There have been tears, liars, incredible homesickness and that feeling of being a planet away. What's hardest is the bittersweetness, the not really knowing of where I should settle down. Melbourne, Auckland, London? Dublin, Sydney. For an emotional person, I probably shouldn't be giving a piece of my heart to all these amazing cities. 

What have I learned? 

Treasure is measured in units of love.

The experience of accepting loneliness and finding peace.

Life can be ordinary, wherever you are.

That I'm grateful to be visiting Grantham this weekend, where my family is from. Just casually picking up a convertible. 

Life can be extraordinary, wherever you are.

Muay Thai bruises your legs a lot. 

Uncertainty is scary, but exciting. 

I didn't know you could get bone bruises from Muay Thai, but you definitely can.

London is totally fine during winter.

Traveling is worth every moment. 

To be careful what I wish for.

xx