The Leap

March 19, 2013

Our cats, our car, our house- the things we left behind/sold/rented out as we boarded a plane with seven suitcases and headed 16,000 km east to Johannesburg, South Africa!

As we were preparing for this, we started thinking about what we will be sad to leave behind, what awaits us that makes it worth it, and what makes us a little nervous. Here is the list as it stood when we left Canadian soil:

The things we will miss the most:

1. Family and friends. Including our two fur balls- Thomas and Frodo. They, I am sure, are very happy with the new living arrangements- huge thanks to M's parents!

2. Starbucks. Sad, but very true. I could go on and on about it being the only place (or one of a select few...) that serves lactose-free milk, has honey for my latte, etc, etc...but I'll stop here.

3. Pathways. We are leaving behind a city with amazing running, biking, roller-blading, and walking pathways that we used very frequently, and made it very easy to get out on a nice day.

4. Hockey/Sports. This is for M, as he would be leaving behind his hockey team and several soccer teams.

5. Mountains. For hiking and skiing, but also for taking pictures of, and just hanging out near them in general.

The things we are most excited about:

1. Travel. So. Many. Places. To. Go. And so little time.

2. Wine. It's no secret, South Africa is known for their wine. Let the tastings begin...

3. People. Meeting new people, making new friends, learning about new cultures.

4. Weather. Johannesburg is known to have one of the best climates on the planet...tons of sunshine, very little humidity, and enough rain to keep things cool and green, without any natural disaster threats (no hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc).

5. Work...yes, strange to be excited about work, but it is the reason we are doing this after all, and it lends itself to all kinds of new experiences and challenges that make the "work" part worth it. Exciting even.

The things we are most apprehensive about:

1. Driving on the left-hand side of the road. And the traffic. While I have been told the first one is easy to overcome with practice, I have heard horror stories of the driving here, and if it is anything like India, I'm in trouble.

2. Safety. We know this is also a big concern for our friends and family, and we know it will be different from where we both have grown up, so we know we will need to adjust our thinking and our vigilance.

3. Having M leave his very stable very fitting job in Canada to follow his lovely wife to the other side of the planet, and hope to find work. Downright scary.

4. Distance. Knowing that we will miss some of life's precious moments for the friends and family in our lives makes this a tough decision. Skype and Google + make this an easier pill to swallow than it used to be, but still a sacrifice for sure.

5. Driving each other crazy. We know this is a big move, and what if we drive each other nuts with the way we handle it? Let's hope not.