Goodbyes

A young English fox in our backyard

Today was the last day of school for the kids and there was lots of waving and hugging involved. I did see quite a bit of tears, but not from my kids however.

It is strange to leave this life in England behind and all that has become so familiar to us in these past three years. For sure it has been quite challenging at times to live here, what with all our crazy landlords and all... (read Cameron, Jackson, Howarth Homes etc.) But this is all past us now and I have to say that our last landlords have been wonderful so far, pouring us sparkling wine whenever we stopped by. (Of course the guy is Irish, that may just be the difference)

Things I will miss from here:

• The international school and community
• My international oriented friends
• The walks with my friends
• The European honesty, open mindedness and willingness to help without any conditions
• The tube!
• Our little road trips to visit family & friends in Holland
• The quick little trips to other European destinations--although there were few

Things I will NOT miss from here:

• The lack of customer service
• The sour faces at the stores
• The long lines at the stores
• The lack of parking

We're packing up next week and start a new life somehow with lot's of unknows again and this is always a bit scary, at least to me. England will never be one of my favorite places in the world but the experience of living here has taught me so much. It has opened my eyes to different choices of education for our children, it has taught me more about European culture and their mindset (even though I am European myself), and mostly it has taught me about myself and my place in this world.

I'm looking forward to our new life in the US, but it is with a heavy heart that I go...I don't have roots in the US and I never will...my roots are in a small town in the north of Holland and I will always be that simple down to earth Frisian girl who is just trying to live the best life that she possible can...

Tot ziens, Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir, Goodbye...