18 months
4 beings
1 big move
multiple changes, challenges and adaptations later…
just PLAY (purpose, learn, appreciate and yearn)
In mid 2015, we chose to make the move from Singapore to South Africa. We said goodbyes to our family and friends in Singapore, carried a 3 yr old Kira and 6 months young Erin, 106kg of luggage (exceeding Emirates baggage allowance by 6kg but the lovely lady at the counter could see that we needed the extra diapers and toys to stay sane) and took a one way flight to South Africa via Dubai. George found a job the next week and we spent 3 wonderful months with his parents in Johannesburg.
Once we decided where to land in Cape Town, rental papers were signed and we then drove our Honda Jazz (packed to the brim) 17 hours down South. This journey with 2 daughters not used to road trips (longest road trip in Singapore is 45min including finding parking) turned out pretty well and iPad free as we arrived in Hout Bay. It was the start of October 2015 and it was a white canvas with everything new. Everything that could have been seen as conflicts and challenges...
…or opportunities and learning experiences.
As 2016 draws to a close, 18 months later, I’m exceedingly happy to share that we’ve settled into Hout Bay and loving the lives we’ve created here. We are grateful we can both work on what we love from home (and that hi-speed fibre has arrived in Hout Bay), our girls are happy in their playschool and making friends for us - yes, many of our new friends are parents of their friends and encountered during early morning school runs and birthday parties complete with jumping castles and pony rides.
Hout Bay is blessed with natural scenery – mountains and beaches, amazing restaurants and a friendly community. Our families have since visited us to share our joy and yes, they are coming back again. We just bought a home in Hout Bay and I’m looking forward to a final packing and unpacking in the new year. PLAY (purpose, learn, appreciate and yearn) is not an acronym I put together to justify the last months of our lives, it’s what we do most days, especially when the going is tough (we’ve experienced 2 hit-and-runs on our car, one car break-in, large tree branches falling over our electric fences disconnecting the whole system twice, random water and electricity cuts, Erin and Kira experiencing 2nd degree burns, a scorpion visiting us while George was out of town which I had to catch…)
I’m reminding myself to enjoy the journey which we chose, be mindful of every moment and just be. Be here for myself, be here for my family, be here as I play, learn, appreciate and yearn for my purpose in this life to unfold. I believe all of us can live our purpose and make a positive difference in the world, my time has been and is now. I extend my invitation for you to PLAY and hope you’re inspired to create the 2017 that is uniquely, fulfilling for you.
Webcomic credit: http://xkcd.com/150/