Well, we have done it. Another year under our belt, we have been here for 5 years since the 12 of March.
We have achieved lots, with plenty more to do. We have visited stunningly beautiful places, done things we never thought we would possibly get to do (I got to hold a real live Kiwi in the early days of being here, an amazing experience!), studied, worked (been injured in my case!) and watched our children flourish in to young adults.
We rarely get time to ourselves, but in a good way. We are often busy, for instance I was up at 5.15 this morning with our son to take him to his first "gig" of the day in Hamilton. He was playing in the school Ceilidh band at one of the Irish pubs. Likewise with our daughter, early starts for various things she gets up to with school, not to mention the after school activities and practices. Jan is so busy with her job and her studies at university taking up a lot of her time and energy. I am immensely proud of my family for the way they have embraced the life and culture of this country. If you get stuck in, you get accepted. If you isolate yourself, well, you stay that way.
The kids have had experiences of their own to remember. Sailing, abseiling, shooting, skiing, boating, to the more unusual doing ultrasounds on horses and Alpaca!!
Has it been worth it? You bet it has. Even though you leave behind family and friends, it is something that is in you. It isn't easy, just like life. But if you persevere, and accept your new surroundings instead of trying to create what you left behind, then maybe you will succeed. Always look forward, never look back.
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