Rotherhithe, London, UK

Even on the day I arrived in London I knew there would be a day I would leave. It was never going to be a forever home so I suppose I’d assumed that walking away would be a happy occasion.

In fact, the only way I can describe it is by saying it was a really strange day. The last six months have been spent making lists, ticking things off lists, clearing cupboards and reading lonely planet guides. We would even take a suitcase home at every opportunity just to make that last day a bit smoother. In fact, the last six months have been some of the best months I have spent in London over the last six years. In having a bigger focus than the day-to-day, I managed to find a better work-life balance than the six months prior. It was easier to switch off from work and be excited about the living and adventures to come. Recognising this unintentional mindset shift is something that will hopefully change the way I work in the future. The best way I can summarise it for my future self is to remember that everything needing to be done will always get done, and that happy teachers with good stories always make better teachers.

The emotions on the last day were not as expected. The van was picked up at nine, loaded by twelve, cleaner arrived at one and then nothing. No home. Homeless. At this point the emptiness hit. Where do we sit? Where do I go? The bikes were packed so even a cycle was off the cards. Charlie went to say his final goodbyes at work and I sat in a van in a carpark with an exhausted tear in my eye and all our life’s belongings in the back. It took about ten minutes for the wave of sadness to pass before I rode the C10 bus for the last time and went for coffee and cake – the solution for all occasions, happy or sad. I tried to blog then but nothing came out. So I walked from Waterloo back to Rotherhithe and somewhere between 3Bis Gelateria and Tooley Street the right words for starting it came to me.

We <3 the C10

I had never considered I would be leaving a place I didn’t hate. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all enjoyment. There were times when I struggled to find the right balance and couldn’t enjoy the weekend because Kent, Surrey and Sussex felt like fake countryside compared to Devon etc…. But in general, I loved so much about life in London. The mix of old friends and new friends. The familiarity and comfort of a good routine and enjoyable habits (mostly surrounding coffee) and occasional spontaneous surprises we enjoyed. The last few weeks have involved some weddings and hen do’s of great friends, and some lovely occasions to say ‘see you soon’ to people we will miss a lot. This made it feel even more so like we have left somewhere we loved. It’s still strange writing about London in the past tense. As the next phase hasn’t really started yet I feel a bit in limbo.

Limbo is Crediton. Back to where it all started. I remember sending the application for the Roehampton’s PGCE from the kitchen table. I made more amazing friends there who are all doing amazing things. Mum and Dad have graciously agreed to house our belongings for the duration of the trip. Bags are semi-packed and there’s a week to go! My colleagues have returned to the new school year and I am somewhat surprised I don’t feel a bigger sense of missing out. I also left a school I didn’t hate, but know I’ve made some friends for life who will stay on this journey.

------ Pets of Limbo ------

Being at home has meant there’s been plenty of time to get excited and do a lot of reading and research for the adventures. I’ve applied for a couple of jobs, starting January 2019. New Zealand schools begin their school year in January so there is no rush to have a job secured before we arrive. Charlie is happy to wait until he is settled in NZ to look for work, whereas I prefer to do a bit of forward planning and see what the feeling is before we get there. We have also signed up to venture into the world of house-sitting. There are

hundreds of house-sit adverts, mostly with dogs, across NZ. So whilst looking for a rental flat we are in the process of lining up some temporary pets to hang out with, and spend some time rent free – the blog will be updated with how that goes! Our Christmas home is sorted already, we now just need one for the New Year.

Yet before all that there is the small journey to get to Auckland, which looks something like this:

From here on in, I’d imagine the blogs will tell more stories of travel and adventures than thoughts and journeys of leaving London. Travel and adventures to most likely include Crossfit on the road, coffee culture and camper van fun.

7 days to go!