The Inside Scoop

We are adjusting to life in England...

Driving is going well. It helps that the signs and myriad of roundabouts are so different from the U.S. It's actually quite fun driving here - the speed limits are much more generous than back home and the roads curve around a lot. Of course, the curves and circular motion of the roundabouts did cause a bout of car sickness for Amy one day. Lets just say we're glad she erupted in the rental car and not in our new vehicles!

Amy skipped kindergarten (they call it "Reception" here). Reception is for children age 4 turning 5. Amy turned 5 this past August so she is supposed to be in Year 1 here - the equivalent of 1st grade in the States. So far she is not too far behind the other students in her class, although they seem much more familiar with writing/spelling and reading. The head teacher at her school assured me that they will work with her to get her caught up in any area that she needs.

I walk Amy to and from school each day. Typically the primary schools are all in close proximity to their cachement area. There are no school buses here. Our walk takes about 10 minutes and I'm really glad we live close enough to walk to/from school so that I don't have to drive. There is a lovely paved footpath that starts at the end of our block and goes past a farmer's field and a park, then right to the school - so the walk is very nice and safe.

Amy took a packed lunch for school the first week but has asked to try hot lunch this next week. We'll see how she likes the local cuisine!

Emily is doing just fine these days and doesn't seem to miss Amy at all. I think she likes having "Mummy" to herself all the live-long day. Mum, on the other hand, is anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sea shipment so we can enjoy some new activities.

So far the only things I really miss are garbage disposals and Dairy Queen.

New things that I love:
-Parent & Child parking spaces at stores - like a handicapped spot with extra room on either side, but specifically designated for parents with small children.
-village life: the butcher, post office/store, surgery (medical clinic), old stone church from the 1300/1400's - all within a short walk from our house.
- trifle, "puddings" (desserts), Cadbury products, tea biscuits (in all their varieties and flavours), custard, double cream, frozen lollies.
- school uniforms
- all the interesting/fun things to see and do

Farewell USA

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go.... anyone want to sing the next line?

Our last few days in the United States have consisted of a lot of trips to the Dairy Queen to indulge, for the last time in the next few years, on some of our favorite treats. We've also thrown in some greasy pizza and A&W root beer - a few other things we are told are in short supply in England.

We have packed and re-packed, and counted the suitcases over and over - making sure we are not going to get sacked by the airport Nazis for having any overweight bags. It is helpful that Amy weighs exactly 50 pounds right now so we can gauge the suitcase weight by having Matt hold her under one arm and a suitcase in his other arm and acting as a human balance. Not very scientific but we don't have a scale so we are improvising in the boy scout way (or at least a CREATIVE way).

Thanks to all who have telephoned us with tearful goodbyes. It makes us think that somebody might actually miss us while we're so far away. It also makes us wonder why everyone is so emotional about our trip - do you know something that we don't know? Maybe you're just so happy to have a good excuse to come visit Europe during the next few years...

In any case, we're excited for our new adventures and hope you'll all take good care of the USA while we're gone.

Homeless

Our house is finally packed up and while we wait for our belongings to make it the LONG journey across the Atlantic Ocean, we are taking the opportunity to visit with family one last time before skipping the country... unfortunately, since everything we own is on a ship somewhere, we are living out of suitcases (not fun), frequenting laundromats (really not fun) and eating microwaveable dinners (extremely un-fun)... visiting family here and there has helped some but the reality is that we are homeless and it's... well, it's... not fun.

The good news is that OUR HOUSE SOLD and we actually were able to sell for more than we bought it for - very positive for us considering the current real estate market. We are mostly just glad to have that worry off our backs. Closing is set for Sept. 8th.

We are all anxious to get to our house in Glinton/Peterborough. Everytime we get in the van (rental van that is, since we sold both our car and van) Emily asks "are we going to England now?" Only 2 more weeks until I can respond "yes."

Some progress

Good news: our visas have been processed and are now in our possession (including Matt's UK work permit) and we have successfully sold off many of our possessions, including both the car and the van (for our full asking price!). It may sound crazy, but there is definitely something liberating about being without earthly possessions (or at least, MOST of our earthly possessions). This time, unlike 5 years ago when our house burned down, we were able to voluntarily surrender everything, and make a little money to boot... if only we didn't have to live out of suitcases for the next 7 weeks!

...and when will the house finally sell?

Visa processing in Chicago

We spent the day in Chicago for visa processing. It was actually a quick and painless process, though our little girls were sorely disappointed that they didn't need to be digitally fingerprinted - that luxury is reserved for children 5 and older. We made up for it though by visiting the zoo, a giant playground and a "family fun" park where we played mini golf. Emily (age 2) golfed with her hands... and often on other greens... and with other families. Fortunately, everyone was very patient and kind to her. Otherwise, all went well and we enjoyed playing with our new GPS navigation system...