i resigned today

I resigned today.  I cried in my boss's office and she made me a cup of tea.  This is what I'm going to miss about the UK.

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I am drained, devoid of real feeling.  Cliche alert: this has been a very difficult decision for P and I.  We've been really happy here in London. 

Sure, we've been unhappy too - I do not look back on my days of unemployment and the long commutes before we moved to a reasonably located suburb fondly.  I recall interview after interview where the feedback was good but there was also a suitably qualified English candidate.  I remember being miffed when no one bothered to introduce themselves in the break room at the office when I was new.  I remember the perma-dark of winter.  I remember the prickles over my scalp when I thought I'd made a crucial, vital mistake at work. 

But on the whole, London has been great. 

We have friends here.  Not just a bunch of expats either - P and I have made friends including colleagues and neighbours who we will be sad to say goodbye to.  Crack the facade and these people are NICE, you know?  Once you've introduced yourself and shown an interest, they share a cuppa with you, ooh and aah over pictures of your ridiculously cute nephew, commiserate at the end of a long week with a beer at the pub.  There is Pimms in the summer.  Europe is on the doorstep.  There are always twinkly lights during the winter hours of darkness.

I can't believe we've made the call (we had our reasons - career, families, lifestyle, effect of soft NZ water on my hair blahblahblah).  But we have, and now I face a walk to work each morning with the knowledge that we're getting closer to a big change. 

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So, New Zealand.  We're headed home, once we've worked out our notice and travelled a while.  You haven't been home for years, but you will be soon.  I've missed you, god knows.  In all of your crappy traffic'd, small communitied, terribly inflected glory.  With all of your thunderstorms, bright sun, vivid colours and Pacific humidity. 

AOTEAROA: THE LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD.  AND EXCELLENT FLAT WHITE. 
VIA NASA SATELLITE THANKS TO WIKI.  THIS IS 23 OCTOBER, 2002. 
GOD I HOPE IT STILL LOOKS LIKE THAT.