18 Months

Photo by A Perry on Unsplash

It is so strange to think we've only been here 18 months, in many ways it feels like I've always lived here.  When I think back to our life in SA it feels weirdly foreign.  I take that as a good sign!

My overall thoughts:

* People warned me that there would be a "honeymoon period" and that I could expect a bit of a slump after that.  I think I must still be in the honeymoon period.  I still feel very loved up about life in the UK!  (To the point that I think people may think I'm on some sort of happy pill!!  I try to curb my enthusiasm when I start getting the side-eye...)  I absolutely love living here and genuinely wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  My biggest fear is that if something happened to Grant before we got Indefinite Leave to Remain I'd have to return to South Africa.  (No disrespect to my friends and family who are happily living in SA - I totally respect your position, and I'm glad you're happy there)  For myself, I literally could not face going back to SA, it's a thought that keeps me awake at night.  I wish we could just fast-forward to our ILR application.  Seeing as we can't, I am trying to keep Grant in excellent health - I can't persuade him to diet, but I'm making sure he gets lots of exercise and a cart-load of vitamins with his breakfast every morning!  If he decides to kick the bucket (God forbid!) a plan will be made, but one thing I am sure of, over my dead body will I ever return to SA!  Moving swiftly on.....

* Emigration was SO much easier than we imagined it to be.  I worried myself sick when we were back in SA and in the planning stages of our big move.  I wish I'd known then what I know now!

* I am really glad I spent all those hours researching and figuring out where we should live in the UK.  We are all very, very happy with the area we chose to move to.  (Having said that, we have now moved 8 miles down the road from Prestwood.  I'll do a blog post all about our move soon.)

* I absolutely adore the fact that we can walk around without fear and go to bed at night without worrying about our security.  That for me is the single biggest difference between here and SA.  I now realise how much stress I was under about safety and security.  I am still often taken-aback to see kids and young women walking around all over the place on their own, unconcerned about their safety. 

* If there is one thing I could change it would be this - I wish we'd moved at a younger age.  To those people in their 20s and 30s debating making the move, my advice would be to do it sooner rather than later.  And to those who are a bit older, I would suggest getting on that plane the moment you can, you want to start paying into a UK pension plan ASAP.  

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I asked Rox and Jon (in their 30s) to send me an update on their thoughts about having lived here for 18 months:

18 months has come and gone and we have settled so well in the UK. This is definitely home for us. We love it here! After visiting South Africa for Christmas, to be honest, we couldn’t wait to get home. South Africa although still familiar just doesn’t feel like home anymore.

Something we've noticed is that the shopping here in the UK is becoming very normal and familiar to us, for example the different tomato sauce and mayonnaise, which used to seem strange. The different brands aren’t feeling foreign anymore.

The biggest difference between here and SA is the sense of security. Kids leave their bikes in the garden overnight, you can walk in the woods without feeling even a hint of uncertainty.

For us emigrating was an easy process. Yes we miss some friends and family but on the whole the transition has been much easier than expected. The kids have settled so well into their new home, new seasons and new surroundings. We wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s the best decision we ever made, our only regret is that we didn't move sooner.

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I asked Paula and Calvin (they're in their early twenties) for an update too - they've only been here 9 months:

* We feel happily settled, we've started living and progressing independently and are able to buy little extras that we need.  We are adulting!

* We are feeling more settled with friends here in the UK and we don't feel like outsiders in the community anymore.  People feel less like strangers and more like neighbours.

* The season changes have been amazing to watch, we definitely appreciate the seasons more!  The last month of Winter is a bit tiresome but watching Spring emerge was amazing.  We love the Spring and the beginnings of Summer we are seeing at the moment.

* The freedom of being able to walk alone to visit Mum and Dad (through the window, thanks Coronavirus!) is lovely, I don't even think twice about doing it.  We feel very secure.

* We're really happy!  We love the woods!  Nothing really profound, but we just like being able to live our lives and do our thing without any worries.  

* Customer service is really good here.

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So that's us!  18 months down the line and happily settled.