So it’s 2 months since we’ve been back in England and I have to say it’s been great.
Sure, the weather isn’t like LA.
Sure, finding a home and unpacking was a pain-in-the arse.
Sure, catching the tube is not like driving my beloved Audi to work.
Sure, I’m shocked at how bad the service is in restaurants and how many people smoke.
But all that aside, things are great.
There’s a bunch of reasons for that …
The first is my family are all together and well. Even Rosie, the moaning cat.
Seeing how brilliant Otis has adapted to his new environment [again] is inspiring, even though it has highlighted how much of an American twang he picked up in our time in the US.
To move home is a traumatic experience for anyone.
To move countries is often too much for people to even contemplate.
So to have moved home and country, 3 times when you’re only 3 years of age – and still be happy, positive and curious – is an incredible achievement and one that makes me even prouder of my wonderful little boy.
That said, we’re very mindful he is still trying to find where he belongs … find other kids he can form a connection with … so our job in these early months is to help him feel as settled and secure as we can, but so far, he’s handling it far better than we could ever hope, even though he did exactly the same when we landed in LA after Shanghai.
What a kid.
Another reason we’re enjoying things in England is that there’s an incredible familiarity to how things work.
Sure I’ve not lived here for 24 years and Jill is Australian … but we both have spent a huge amount of time here over the years so there’s a comfort in knowing how to make things happen. It’s allowed us to acclimatise to the new environment far quicker than we have in other nations while still feeling the buzz of excitement of being somewhere new.
Sure, there’s nervousness about some things we’ve never/rarely had to deal with before.
The school system and how insane that is here.
The inability to be confident a tradesman will turn up as promised.
The high price of public transport [which is still low, but comparatively high to say, China]
But all that is offset with the incredible culture that surrounds us, the friendliness of the people we’ve met and just being in a place where we can see ourselves for a good length of time.
Oh, and chips, mushy peas and gravy.
God, that’s magic right there.
But one other thing that has made things so great is work.
I’m really enjoying myself.
I have an incredible team full of smarts and opinions.
I have a huge array of colleagues full of creativity and provocation.
I have a bunch of clients full of fascinating challenges and ambitions.
I’m learning.
I’m being challenged.
I’m [hopefully] contributing.
There were a bunch of reasons why we moved countries – both personal and professional – and while no place will ever be perfect, I’m pretty shocked at how much I am enjoying being back in England given I never thought I’d ever move back.
I still wish I could nip up to Nottingham to see Mum and Dad.
I still wish Paul and Shelly lived down the street not 2 hours away.
But as much as I’ll always be a cynical bastard, I’m pretty happy right now and I’m sure that is as shocking to you as it is to me.
So on this bombshell of positivity, I wish you a good weekend and let you know that the APSOTW results will finally be out next week.
Ta-ra.