It's been a good long while, fair reader, but after much consternation, deliberation and contemplation our fair clan is heading back to our second home! It seems like a waking dream but it is really happening. We depart San Francisco for Auckland on the night of August 18th, 2020.
Looking back, this move did not seem remotely inevitable. We came back to the US in 2012 because of finances. We came back because of earthquakes and aging family. All of these issues are still very real but so much has changed in the last year. M and W are 15 and 12 respectively and their lives, like so many here in the US and around the world, have been profoundly changed by Covid-19. This issue alone is compelling but add to that the impending election of our lifetimes in November, the continued divisions in our national political fabric and the most dangerous politician since the Second World War and you have the desire for a better life being usurped by necessity. Each day there is usually a moment that I hold my breath in anticipation of some new low that has been perpetrated by our current occupant of the White House. Rarely do these moments go unfulfilled. It's a terrible time in the United States and I doubt we have seen the worst of it. I wish this were not true but there's no denying that it is.
The decision to leave is difficult. It feels like cowardice. It feels like giving up. It feels like an abrogation of our duties as citizens to leave when sanity needs every last advocate. To use the language of the day, it feels like white privilege because it is white privilege. But honestly, I don't see how we CAN'T make this move. We love New Zealand. There are so many things about New Zealand that feel like home. We will miss all of the wonderful things that make living in Portland, Oregon special and of course we will miss our friends, our neighbors and our dear families. We also live in an era where communication across wide open spaces is so much easier than it was even ten years ago. We will still "see" our people. Wish us luck as we may need it and stay tuned for updates as we stumble closer to the rest of our lives.
Amen to all of this - even the guilt ridden parts. We too are in the planning stages of leaving, and moving back to Sweden after 17 years here. One out of four already made the move. It truly feels like we are the rats abandoning the sinking ship. It also feels like all other choices are worse than the one we're making. The once "greatest nation on Earth" is being crushed beneath the weight of the enormous stupidity of its people, and it's devastating to watch. Best of luck with your next chapter.
ReplyDeleteThe collective madness here is bewildering to watch. All the best in your plans!
DeleteI made the move to New Zealand from the U.S. back in 2009. Indeed, I met you folks during the time you lived there before your return to the U.S. I've never regretted my move. In fact, it has come to seem the wisest or the luckiest thing I've ever done. The U.S. is, indeed, an empire in decline.
ReplyDeleteSee you soon Dennis!
DeleteSee you soon Dennis!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and amazing opportunity for your family! It is in these moments that we seize the opportunities that provide for our social, emotional and physical health. In omnia paratus: prepared in all things, ready for anything. I wish you and your family well. Peace, health and respect. Gabrielle
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. We are incredibly lucky to have this opportunity.
DeleteHi, Cara! Hope you’ll have a safe journey to NZ. Hugs and wishes from Sri Lanka!
ReplyDeleteI am so very happy for you!!!!!
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