I’ve been struggling with what to write to you about this week. Not because there’s been a shortage of material you understand. Rather, because there’s too much of it.
Lately, when in doubt, I’ve defaulted to politics. Partly, that’s because Westminster has provided such rich, if depressing, pickings. But mostly, that’s because it’s been a bit too hard to write about the personal stuff, which has been endlessly complicated.
Truth is, I’m now five days away from a life-changing move abroad. My husband, Rich, has already gone ahead to start the visa process in our new home in the Middle East. My son, Arthur, has been on holiday with his dad. And I’ve been living with my parents while packing up our house and trying to manage a LOT of life admin and emotions.
In some ways, it’s all hugely exciting. On the other hand, the logistics have been mind-bendingly awful (cheers, Brexit!), my anxiety has been through the roof, opening up about it all while still processing it myself has felt incredibly difficult, and now it’s finally coming together, I’m not sure where to start with unpacking it all.
What I do know beyond doubt is that a lot of people have post-Covid itchy feet. After our pandemic grounding, many of us are craving a new adventure or a change of scene. So, in the coming weeks as I transition into my new life, I want to write more about the realities of our move, from the logistical to the emotional and everything in between. From dream jobs to next-level packing, eco-school searching to Western exceptionalism – “You’re really moving there?” – there’s a lot to cover, and I’d love to know what you’re most curious to hear about. This is your chance to let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer all of your questions, either here or, where more appropriate, in a longer essay over the coming weeks.
While no subject is off limits, the deeply personal nature of some of this stuff means an increasing number of my missives – in addition to my weekly Take Five summaries and news-led musings – will be subscriber only. I hope those of you who have been enjoying the free weekly newsletters will come and join our closed community as those unpaid articles become a bit more sporadic. If not, rest assured there will continue to be at least one open post a month.
Lastly, before I hand over to questions, a bit of housekeeping – as I’ll be somewhere over the Atlantic when I’d usually be writing it, this week’s Take Five will come a day earlier on Thursday. Normal service will resume from sweatier climes next week.
Ohhh good luck! I just moved to Japan from France last week, we only got my son's visa 18 hours before our flight (complicated because we're here because of my husband but he's my son's stepdad so my son needed a separate visa). And 17 hours before we left we signed for an apartment we finally bought in Paris (to be repainted and rented out by me in November when I go back for 2 weeks 😅). My father-in-law also stayed til just before we moved and got Covid so we spent our last two weeks wearing masks at home and trying not to catch it because our two cats were scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on a specific date or else have to wait another 40 days to enter (Japan being rabies-free = nightmare to bring pets).There were a bunch of other crazy stuff including movers only arriving 36 hours before we left having delayed for two days plus bureaucrats in France not wanting to stamp documents we needed at the last minute... So I can imagine what you might be going through!! It's terrifying and and exciting and stressful all at the same time. We"ve moved country seven times and my son is impressively resilient (and trilingual), I think it's brilliant for kids (if daunting as a parent all the same!).
Fingers crossed it all goes well for you and your family xx
Oh my goodness, that sounds like a crazy few months - and a huge cultural shift! I have to say, I absolutely adore Tokyo and exploring more of Japan is top of my travel bucket list so I’m sooooo interested in how you find it to move to. Would love to hear more! Also couldn’t agree more on it being an opportunity for kids - my son is to do three languages at his new eco-school and will be learning among 34 different nationalities of kids, which is rather different to his first four years of school here! I hope your father-in-law is on the mend now? Xxx
That is very exciting news Jen. Wishing you and your family every happiness and success. So pleased you are continuing with The Flock. Thank you for sharing your own personal journey and look forward to hearing all about the next chapter. I’m sure your open and honest thoughts and experiences will continue to challenge our own . Good luck.
Thank you Carole! After all the lockdowns, it just feels like a good time to say yes to the opportunity for adventure. It’s not been smooth sailing, but feeling very optimistic about what’s to come - and looking forward to writing about it all! Xxx
Wow, how exciting! Looking forward to reading more about adapting to life in Dubai. I WFH here in the UK for a Dubai-based company (events and publishing) - so get to go out there once a year or so for work. I find the place fascinating! Hope the move goes well. x
Oooh, you’ll need to message me who you work for as there may be some crossover! It really is a fascinating place, and so different to the lazy portrayals we so often see of it here. I can’t wait to get back! Xxx
Wow congratulations. Can imagine how many emotions are at play at the moment. Look forward to hearing more and sorry we never got to have that coffee. It was nice to think of you down the road!
Oh Emma, I really wish we’d gotten that coffee in sooner too! Can we make it a date when I’m back for next year’s fest? Hope your own move has gone brilliantly and you’re feeling settled in now with that gorgeous view of yours! Xxx
It's a date! And yes, the view is wonderful and something to stare at when the rest of the country/world seems to be going completely batsh*t crazy. Can't think of a better time to escape the UK! xxx
Well this is very exciting! My goodness.... I know a few people who have decided to up and leave, I hadn't thought about COVID and how it might have been brought on by the 'itchy feet'!
I’m just extrapolating from what I’ve heard from people I know, but I definitely think a lot of people are craving some sort of change of scene - those who’ve been stuck in the country craving the excitement of the city and vice versa! I think too that while I didn’t go looking for it, when a dream opportunity landed on my lap it felt like a very opportune time to go for it, as for me, it feels like there’s less to lose from taking a risk right now, with the Uk feeling like it’s on a backwards trajectory?! Still trying to figure it all out - but I’m definitely looking forward to a new adventure after being stuck in place through the pandemic! Xx
Congratulations Jen! What an exciting time. I moved from London to Norwich last year and thought that felt like a huge cultural change so would love to hear more about your adventures. I’ve sometimes wondered about selling up and having an adventure in a different country but it’s seems too much like a pipe dream. I’d be interested in hearing about what led you to make the move, and also how you settle in - the unexpected things you miss (if I ever moved somewhere I’d have to make sure I could get hold of marmite!). Wishing you the best of luck with your move! x
Hahahaha, it’s Percy Pigs for me. Guests always have to bring Percy Pigs 😂
I think it’s so true that feeling of it being a pipe dream. I always felt the same way and it was never something I really viewed as a possibility for me growing up. But I think once you’ve done it once, it becomes much easier to do again - the downside being that you’ll always feel a little torn over what consitutes ‘home’ once you have.
Im still working out all my feelings on it and will absolutely be covering all these points in my writing going forward. For now, I definitely know that I want my little guy to grow up surrounded by different cultures and viewpoints and with a spirit of adventure so that this will never feel like a pipe dream for him. That’s a key motivator in this move, for sure xxx
I hope you have had a smooth start in your new home.
I guess depending where in the Middle East I’d be interested to know how you will handle political topics (and feminist topics) when the mainstream press around you may have very different attitudes. And I wonder whether it will feel distinctly like an ex-pat or tourism community or whether you really can become part of a local community when there are sharp contrasts between rights, wealth and culture. But maybe these differences are not so extreme as the UK polarises and social media / digital media allows nearly everyone to access varied viewpoints.
I can’t wait to cover all this Lucy. In short, I’d say you nailed it in that last sentence - the differences in culture are nowhere near as extreme as presented in the Uk, and I actually feel I have much greater professional opportunity here than in the Uk. We’re in the uae, which is hugely multi-cultural - I lived here for 7.5 years before and in the five years I’ve been back in the Uk I’ve missed how tolerant, safe and welcoming it is. It’s certainly not a truth for the whole Middle East region, but the UAE actually outperformed both the UK and USA on the last UN Gender Inequality Index by quite some margin and is now ranked in 18th place globally. While I can’t vote here (I’m a resident, not a citizen), it’s a fascinating place to be at this current moment in time as the speed of progress is dizzying while so much of the west is going backwards. I can’t wait to write more about it xx
Wishing you and your family all the best for this new adventure!
Ohhh good luck! I just moved to Japan from France last week, we only got my son's visa 18 hours before our flight (complicated because we're here because of my husband but he's my son's stepdad so my son needed a separate visa). And 17 hours before we left we signed for an apartment we finally bought in Paris (to be repainted and rented out by me in November when I go back for 2 weeks 😅). My father-in-law also stayed til just before we moved and got Covid so we spent our last two weeks wearing masks at home and trying not to catch it because our two cats were scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on a specific date or else have to wait another 40 days to enter (Japan being rabies-free = nightmare to bring pets).There were a bunch of other crazy stuff including movers only arriving 36 hours before we left having delayed for two days plus bureaucrats in France not wanting to stamp documents we needed at the last minute... So I can imagine what you might be going through!! It's terrifying and and exciting and stressful all at the same time. We"ve moved country seven times and my son is impressively resilient (and trilingual), I think it's brilliant for kids (if daunting as a parent all the same!).
Fingers crossed it all goes well for you and your family xx
Oh my goodness, that sounds like a crazy few months - and a huge cultural shift! I have to say, I absolutely adore Tokyo and exploring more of Japan is top of my travel bucket list so I’m sooooo interested in how you find it to move to. Would love to hear more! Also couldn’t agree more on it being an opportunity for kids - my son is to do three languages at his new eco-school and will be learning among 34 different nationalities of kids, which is rather different to his first four years of school here! I hope your father-in-law is on the mend now? Xxx
That is very exciting news Jen. Wishing you and your family every happiness and success. So pleased you are continuing with The Flock. Thank you for sharing your own personal journey and look forward to hearing all about the next chapter. I’m sure your open and honest thoughts and experiences will continue to challenge our own . Good luck.
Thank you Carole! After all the lockdowns, it just feels like a good time to say yes to the opportunity for adventure. It’s not been smooth sailing, but feeling very optimistic about what’s to come - and looking forward to writing about it all! Xxx
Wow, how exciting! Looking forward to reading more about adapting to life in Dubai. I WFH here in the UK for a Dubai-based company (events and publishing) - so get to go out there once a year or so for work. I find the place fascinating! Hope the move goes well. x
Oooh, you’ll need to message me who you work for as there may be some crossover! It really is a fascinating place, and so different to the lazy portrayals we so often see of it here. I can’t wait to get back! Xxx
Wow congratulations. Can imagine how many emotions are at play at the moment. Look forward to hearing more and sorry we never got to have that coffee. It was nice to think of you down the road!
Oh Emma, I really wish we’d gotten that coffee in sooner too! Can we make it a date when I’m back for next year’s fest? Hope your own move has gone brilliantly and you’re feeling settled in now with that gorgeous view of yours! Xxx
It's a date! And yes, the view is wonderful and something to stare at when the rest of the country/world seems to be going completely batsh*t crazy. Can't think of a better time to escape the UK! xxx
Currently going through something very similar with my hubby set to start new role in Baku on Monday. Hope your adventure goes well.
Ooh, Baku is on the travel list too. Looking forward to hearing how you settle in! It looks like a fascinating place xxx
Well this is very exciting! My goodness.... I know a few people who have decided to up and leave, I hadn't thought about COVID and how it might have been brought on by the 'itchy feet'!
I’m just extrapolating from what I’ve heard from people I know, but I definitely think a lot of people are craving some sort of change of scene - those who’ve been stuck in the country craving the excitement of the city and vice versa! I think too that while I didn’t go looking for it, when a dream opportunity landed on my lap it felt like a very opportune time to go for it, as for me, it feels like there’s less to lose from taking a risk right now, with the Uk feeling like it’s on a backwards trajectory?! Still trying to figure it all out - but I’m definitely looking forward to a new adventure after being stuck in place through the pandemic! Xx
Completely agree, Jennifer! I’m also plotting a post-pandemic new chapter overseas. Because didn’t it just prove *anything/everything* is possible. 😃
Wishing you all the very best and excited to read all about your adventures.
Congratulations Jen! What an exciting time. I moved from London to Norwich last year and thought that felt like a huge cultural change so would love to hear more about your adventures. I’ve sometimes wondered about selling up and having an adventure in a different country but it’s seems too much like a pipe dream. I’d be interested in hearing about what led you to make the move, and also how you settle in - the unexpected things you miss (if I ever moved somewhere I’d have to make sure I could get hold of marmite!). Wishing you the best of luck with your move! x
Hahahaha, it’s Percy Pigs for me. Guests always have to bring Percy Pigs 😂
I think it’s so true that feeling of it being a pipe dream. I always felt the same way and it was never something I really viewed as a possibility for me growing up. But I think once you’ve done it once, it becomes much easier to do again - the downside being that you’ll always feel a little torn over what consitutes ‘home’ once you have.
Im still working out all my feelings on it and will absolutely be covering all these points in my writing going forward. For now, I definitely know that I want my little guy to grow up surrounded by different cultures and viewpoints and with a spirit of adventure so that this will never feel like a pipe dream for him. That’s a key motivator in this move, for sure xxx
I hope you have had a smooth start in your new home.
I guess depending where in the Middle East I’d be interested to know how you will handle political topics (and feminist topics) when the mainstream press around you may have very different attitudes. And I wonder whether it will feel distinctly like an ex-pat or tourism community or whether you really can become part of a local community when there are sharp contrasts between rights, wealth and culture. But maybe these differences are not so extreme as the UK polarises and social media / digital media allows nearly everyone to access varied viewpoints.
I can’t wait to cover all this Lucy. In short, I’d say you nailed it in that last sentence - the differences in culture are nowhere near as extreme as presented in the Uk, and I actually feel I have much greater professional opportunity here than in the Uk. We’re in the uae, which is hugely multi-cultural - I lived here for 7.5 years before and in the five years I’ve been back in the Uk I’ve missed how tolerant, safe and welcoming it is. It’s certainly not a truth for the whole Middle East region, but the UAE actually outperformed both the UK and USA on the last UN Gender Inequality Index by quite some margin and is now ranked in 18th place globally. While I can’t vote here (I’m a resident, not a citizen), it’s a fascinating place to be at this current moment in time as the speed of progress is dizzying while so much of the west is going backwards. I can’t wait to write more about it xx
Totally agree - I think there’s a lot of sense in that saying that we regret more what we don’t do. Might as well have an adventure, right? 😂