A great weekend!

30 June 2013

A good friend of mine, experienced at moving internationally, told me that there would be really high highs and really low lows associated with this experience. He was right. I have definitely had some lonely and difficult times, but this weekend was great and it really helped lift my spirits. (If you're interested in his experience with living in France, and now New York, while his wife is at working in the Netherlands, here's a link to his blog: Anonymous Mad Scientist in a Strange Land. His wife's blog is a little more up-to-date and has lots of great pictures and a fun trivia contest so you should check that out as well: Traveling Through the Stars).

What went into creating the positive "perfect storm" of a weekend? 

• I was going to save the best for last, but I can't because I'm too excited about it: WE HAVE A FLAT!!!!!  I decided on a flat and contacted the landlord. I sign the tenancy (lease) this Wednesday. I had narrowed it down to 2 choices. When I was describing the second option (the place I hadn't seen yet) to Andy's wife (Andy is my colleague on the project), she recognized the neighborhood and advised against living there. I guess I really liked the other place and just needed an excuse to choose to live there. We have a place to live worked out and that is really a burden lifted off of me. I don't move until August 26, but at least it's all worked out.

  

  Our flat will be the windows on the top floor
  (not the ones on the weird corner). 

  
  
  

  

  This is the park that is about 2 blocks from our new flat. Saw lots of  happy dogs, so Kasha will enjoy it.

  

  There is a canal that runs near our place. We can take it
  into town or miles outside the city. It reminds me of a
  paved ditch-bank road. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  A view of the sitting room in our new flat.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I woke up on Saturday morning with energy and felt normal for the first time since I arrived. The main part of jet-lag has been over for a couple of days, but there was a lingering tiredness in the mornings that made it difficult to get up and moving. I'm a morning person so this was extremely weird and difficult for me. At the end of the day, I started to feel like I have enough energy to do things like grocery shopping.

• I went out hiking with Andy (the person I am working with on the research project) and his son and his son's friend. We went out to Blackford Hill and set up a climbing rope for the kids to play on. Of course, that only lasted a little while and we spent the rest of the time playing hide-and-go-seek and running around. The day was beautiful and I actually got more of a tan here than I got in New York. We finished off the day with Star Wars pancakes - those definitely went over well with the kids :)

Climbing at Blackford Hill.

The crew. Scottish/British
accents are adorable on little kids!

We used the pancake moulds that I brought
from the US. They were a hit!

• I dug around in the luggage that I had packed and found some of the things that I didn’t remember packing in this load, but that I really needed – tennis shoes, sweatshirts, and another pair of jeans! All things that I wasn’t wearing back in NM because it was WAY too hot. It’s still pretty hot over there and only getting hotter with the heat wave going through. I wish I could share the rainy, chilly weather. Finding all these clothes felt like Christmas morning! 

• I heard from Nico that he bought Kasha an airline-approved crate and she slept in it the first night. This bodes well for us being able to bring her over on the plane without traumatizing her. Although she was originally crate-trained, she hasn't actually used a crate in years (except for the cancer-removal surgery recovery). That was also an open design and the one she has to use on the plane is more closed. 

• I heard back about the bands/orchestras in Scotland and everywhere seems very friendly and they are looking for trumpets. I need an orchestra that rehearses once a week and doesn't have a concert during my field work in December/January. It looks promising - One group is doing Shostakovich Symphony 8 and the concerts are end of November and then in March and May. Some of the places even practice close (about 5 blocks) to our new flat. Sounds like I will find a fun group to play with this year!

• Finally, the Queen is in town throwing her annual garden party. Although I didn't actually see the Queen, I probably wasn't that far from her (relatively speaking) and I still think it's kind of cool :) 

Hopefully the next week will bring even more settling in and next weekend will see me just as happy!