Leaving on a jet plane…….
It’s our last weekend in California, and it feels … weird!
I never thought I would feel sad about leaving here at all, after all as Andy put it the other day ‘we have been living in a car park for over a year’. But today I am feeling pretty sad about leaving the beautiful weather, wonderful scenery and cheap shopping behind. Not only have we been lucky enough to live somewhere where it doesn’t rain 80% of the time, but we have also had the opportunity to see a lot of amazing things. We’ve been over the Golden Gate Bridge (more times than I can remember), we visited Alcatraz, we’ve driven Highway 1, we have been to LA and seen the Hollywood sign, we have spent Christmas in Las Vegas, we have visited Monterey Aquarium and San Francisco Zoo (and didn’t even get attacked by a Tiger!). But not only that, Jasper has had the chance to work with so many people whom he has respected and admired for many years. Sun is to Jasper as Man Utd is to a Bournemouth player! All in all our time in California has been well worth while and is something I certainly don’t regret in the slightest. Had the immigration policies of the US been a tad more Fi friendly then I doubt I would be writing this blog! However the fact that I can not work here despite being allowed to stay for as long as Jasper is here, is absolutely ridiculous. I can’t think of a more frustrating situation to be in, you’d think having the opportunity to live in sunny California would be something anyone would jump at, but when it is coupled with no social life, no way of meeting new people and no income, it suddenly loses it’s appeal.
So, today is a day of mixed emotions. I am looking forward to being back home, seeing my friends and family more often, to having a social life, to being able to walk to something other than a Starbucks or a Subway. To working again, going to uni and everything that comes with it. But I am also sad to be leaving such a beautiful part of the world. I certainly wonder how different things would have been if we had lived in the city, or if I was able to work, or in fact both. It is incredibly frustrating that in order for us both to be happy we have to make such huge sacrifices. I know that’s what marriage is all about, making sacrifices to make each other happy and to enjoy life together, but I wish our situation was more like the norm, like agreeing to watch the football instead of Eastenders or going to the Apple store even though it’s full of geeks!!!
Anyway, I know we all feel hard done by at times, but I guess I just feel like whichever option we choose it won’t be ideal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we come back at some point and live the American dream again, but for now it’s back to good ol’ blighty for us.
I certainly feel grateful for having had the opportunity to experience living abroad, but it will be nice to talk to people and a) have them understand my accent and b) not ask me if I am Australian or attempt to mimic me!
Peace out
From a mixed emotioned Fi
xxx