Linton here - I realize it is time that I posted a blog entry now that we are more than half way through our year away. I have had many realizations in the past few months. Some deeper and less obvious than others...but here goes and I am warning you now, I am nowhere near the writer James is...
When my in-laws, Jane and Peter, were here we went to the Immigration Museum. It's a fascinating place that creatively tells the story of Australian immigration over the last 2 centuries. And it reminded me that immigration is not just something people did last century. It's happening all the time; in fact, similiar to Canada, one in four people living in Australia now were not born here. I loved this museum for many reasons but mostly because it struck a chord within me about living "away". The opening line in the first exhibit was something like "Deciding to leave the place where you have grown up is one of the hardest decisions of your life". Aha. This is why people kept saying to us how adventurous we were to be leaving Toronto. The exhibit went on to say "Immigrants have to essentially start their life over again, setting themselves up, initiating friendships and creating a new 'family' and framework for themselves in their new location." Now that I am living through a bit of that, I can relate and have a new appreciation for immigrants all over the world. I certainly know, and was educated by the Immigration Museum, that most people who immigrate are doing so merely to survive or to avoid or escape political differences, war or natural disasters. I know we are so lucky to be able to choose to live in another country just because we were curious or were seeking a new experience/location to study at. But despite all the privilege that we have, it isn't easy living in a place where you virtually know no one and with which you have no history. It takes proactivity and optimism to be successful no matter who you are and where you have decided to live. Don't get me wrong, it has been an amazing year so far and we have met great people and had amazing travels/adventures; but it will be nice to get home to friends, family, our own house, a car and to a city that we know. I feel privileged to be able to experience this year as a temporary citizen and to not have to worry about how much more challenging it might be if we were settling here indefinitely or had been forced to come.
This theme struck me as well when I was in Hong Kong visiting my cousin, Sheila. Sheila and her family have lived in Hong Kong for 13 years now. They only planned on living there for a few years but have stayed because it was advantageous to do so from a career and lifestyle perspective. Still they talk of returning to Canada. I met a ton of their friends (all expats) who had done the same thing. Really amazingly educated, personable and fun people from all over the world who had all decided to leave their family and friends behind in pursuit of a different (and maybe better) life experience for themselves and their spouse/kids. This got me wondering - Are there only certain types of people who will risk and choose to move away from home? Am I one of those people? Why or why not?
Those people that know my family know that my sister Sarah has lived in Johannesburg for almost 15 years now. She initially chose to leave Toronto to be able to pursue her career to the fullest and then stayed when she fell in love and has been the CBS African bureau chief for 12 years. Right now she is spending four months in Vancouver as a CanWest visiting journalism professor at UBC. She is one of two international journalists that was awarded with this fellowship - very proud of her! It will be very interesting to get her impressions of being back in Canada after so very long and discover how she feels to be back even for a short amount of time.
Technology, specifically Facebook, has been an important tool for me living "away" and I am grateful that I live in an age where this is available to me. This technology and other social networking sites unite people from all over the world who are interesting in connecting. I know, I know - it is not for everyone, but this year, it is certainly for me!! I love the fact that I can stay in touch with family/friends so easily. I love that I have two new friends in Melbourne who are ex-Torontonians who found me through Facebook and that I get travel advice from friends all over the world. I also love the fact that I can tell James that there has been a significant Canadian news story/event (parliament proroguing, snowstorms) before he reads the Globe online because someone has commented on it through their Facebook status. Technology has made this year easier for me because at any time of the day/night, I can see who is on Facebook or Skype and connect with them.
When my in-laws, Jane and Peter, were here we went to the Immigration Museum. It's a fascinating place that creatively tells the story of Australian immigration over the last 2 centuries. And it reminded me that immigration is not just something people did last century. It's happening all the time; in fact, similiar to Canada, one in four people living in Australia now were not born here. I loved this museum for many reasons but mostly because it struck a chord within me about living "away". The opening line in the first exhibit was something like "Deciding to leave the place where you have grown up is one of the hardest decisions of your life". Aha. This is why people kept saying to us how adventurous we were to be leaving Toronto. The exhibit went on to say "Immigrants have to essentially start their life over again, setting themselves up, initiating friendships and creating a new 'family' and framework for themselves in their new location." Now that I am living through a bit of that, I can relate and have a new appreciation for immigrants all over the world. I certainly know, and was educated by the Immigration Museum, that most people who immigrate are doing so merely to survive or to avoid or escape political differences, war or natural disasters. I know we are so lucky to be able to choose to live in another country just because we were curious or were seeking a new experience/location to study at. But despite all the privilege that we have, it isn't easy living in a place where you virtually know no one and with which you have no history. It takes proactivity and optimism to be successful no matter who you are and where you have decided to live. Don't get me wrong, it has been an amazing year so far and we have met great people and had amazing travels/adventures; but it will be nice to get home to friends, family, our own house, a car and to a city that we know. I feel privileged to be able to experience this year as a temporary citizen and to not have to worry about how much more challenging it might be if we were settling here indefinitely or had been forced to come.
This theme struck me as well when I was in Hong Kong visiting my cousin, Sheila. Sheila and her family have lived in Hong Kong for 13 years now. They only planned on living there for a few years but have stayed because it was advantageous to do so from a career and lifestyle perspective. Still they talk of returning to Canada. I met a ton of their friends (all expats) who had done the same thing. Really amazingly educated, personable and fun people from all over the world who had all decided to leave their family and friends behind in pursuit of a different (and maybe better) life experience for themselves and their spouse/kids. This got me wondering - Are there only certain types of people who will risk and choose to move away from home? Am I one of those people? Why or why not?
Those people that know my family know that my sister Sarah has lived in Johannesburg for almost 15 years now. She initially chose to leave Toronto to be able to pursue her career to the fullest and then stayed when she fell in love and has been the CBS African bureau chief for 12 years. Right now she is spending four months in Vancouver as a CanWest visiting journalism professor at UBC. She is one of two international journalists that was awarded with this fellowship - very proud of her! It will be very interesting to get her impressions of being back in Canada after so very long and discover how she feels to be back even for a short amount of time.
Technology, specifically Facebook, has been an important tool for me living "away" and I am grateful that I live in an age where this is available to me. This technology and other social networking sites unite people from all over the world who are interesting in connecting. I know, I know - it is not for everyone, but this year, it is certainly for me!! I love the fact that I can stay in touch with family/friends so easily. I love that I have two new friends in Melbourne who are ex-Torontonians who found me through Facebook and that I get travel advice from friends all over the world. I also love the fact that I can tell James that there has been a significant Canadian news story/event (parliament proroguing, snowstorms) before he reads the Globe online because someone has commented on it through their Facebook status. Technology has made this year easier for me because at any time of the day/night, I can see who is on Facebook or Skype and connect with them.
So upon reflection of the whole "going away for a year" thing, it has been totally worthwhile but a ton of work - luckily I like being busy. Just to actually execute the logistics of removing ourselves from our Canadian life and establishing oursleves in Melbourne was a feat in itself. To survive the first few months, ensure the boys were settled at school, make new friends and create a life for us here has been the next hurdle. Incredibly, we are now facing the last half of the adventure and we are conscious of maximizing the remainder of our trip but at the same time not wanting to return home with a mountain of debt. As we dare to look a little further down the road, we are even starting to think about and plan for how we will resume our "normal" lives as smoothly as possible back in Toronto. This requires us to transition back into our Toronto existence - move our belongings back into our house, find a childcare arrangement for the kids, change back all our insurance, utilities, bills, finance....get the kids back into their activities, etc, etc. In essence, a reverse immigration.
There are also many things that will be different upon our return - I will hopefully have a new job (anyone offering?), James will have a new bigger job at school, we will be very broke, some friends will have bigger families or some may have moved away, Canada will be in a recession, the list goes on. But what I can't really anticipate is how I/our family will feel when the novelty of being back is over. Will I have satisfied my need for travel and new adventures? Will I yearn to be a stay at home mom again? Will the kids be happy picking up where they left off at school and with friends? Time will tell. But in the meantime, I am going to enjoy these last few months while they last - as a lucky, grateful guest of this wonderfully welcoming country.
There are also many things that will be different upon our return - I will hopefully have a new job (anyone offering?), James will have a new bigger job at school, we will be very broke, some friends will have bigger families or some may have moved away, Canada will be in a recession, the list goes on. But what I can't really anticipate is how I/our family will feel when the novelty of being back is over. Will I have satisfied my need for travel and new adventures? Will I yearn to be a stay at home mom again? Will the kids be happy picking up where they left off at school and with friends? Time will tell. But in the meantime, I am going to enjoy these last few months while they last - as a lucky, grateful guest of this wonderfully welcoming country.
P.S. - I have just finished The Book of Negroes, which I highly recommend. In it, the main character, Meena, an African girl brought over to North America as a slave in the eighteenth century, spends most of her life trying to return back to Africa to her village and "her people". She eventually does end up returning to Africa but once there, realizes that her experiences abroad have shaped who she is and what is important, not where she is from. She has changed and so has her homeland.
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