So here we are, a Kiwi family (or New Zealanders, the term that you may be more familiar with) living in Montevideo, Uruguay, for the past 6 months. And no, we are not seasoned travellers. And neither are we the sort of people to take chances - the type that thrives on new and exciting adventures. Well at least we weren’t that type of person until 6 months ago when my husband was offered a position as General Manager of a Dairy Farming operation here in Uruguay. In fact, he turned the offer down, and came home that evening and told me so.
But that was when something rather peculiar occurred. The conversation should have gone as follows, my reply to him being “You are absolutely right, we couldn’t possibley move to a new country. We have two young boys (18 months and 4 ½ years old), lots of friends who we would miss terribley, elderly parents who we would also miss terribley and worry about, animals which we love and who depend on us for their survival, a house which we are just about to start renovating after nine years of dreaming about it, and I know I could come up with a million other excuses, the primary one being it is just too scarey!!”. But instead, I said “Oh, maybe we should consider it, or at least find out some more about what it involves before we turn it down flat”. And so we did just that. But we also flip-flopped between accepting and declining the offer several times as our fears threatened to overwhelm our chance of a new and exciting (but yes, also scarey) experience.
The reason I thought we were capable of handling all of this? Simple - I have come to the realisation over the past couple of years that I won't be on this earth forever and that life is for living now.
Now you may well be the sort of person that says that fact is obvious; but I know that alot, or even most people (myself included until recently) live their lives like this is a trial run, a practise for the real life we want to live some time in the future. It has taken me nearly 40 years for the reality to set in that I need to live the life I want to live right now, because we just don't know how long we will be here for, and there's alot I still need to do!
I refer to this phase of our lives - half-jokingly - as my mid-life crisis. My Dad passed away just over a year ago, and that also had a profound effect on my outlook. Still cautious by nature, probably always will be, but now I don't believe there are any limitations in my life - truly. I'm not out to conquer the world, but I do believe the world is our oyster, we just have to have the guts to get out there and give it a go and to be open-minded enough to consider all possibilities as they present themselves. Failing isn't even as bad as not giving it a go - if we are open-minded, it will be from our failures that we learn the most important life lessons.
So in June of 2009 we came over to have a look at Uruguay and Montevideo to see if it really was the sort of place where we and our boys could live. That really helped our cautious natures' to accept what we were about to enter into. We looked at houses, checked out the neighbourhoods, went to a supermarket, looked at schools and kindergartens - to satisfy ourselves with the things we would need to function on a day to day basis, just like in New Zealand. For me, I think that was the tipping point that meant I felt alot more comfortable moving here, having seen the house that was to become our home, and all the other things that would be part of our lives here.
So here we are - learning what culture shock really means first-hand; my hubby learning a new job in a new country; we are all learning Spanish – a totally new language – with varying degrees of success thus far; enjoying all the new sites and sounds that living in Montevideo and Uruguay have to offer; meeting so many lovely and interesting new people and making wonderful new friends. Life is a real mixture at the moment, still with moments when it all seems surreal.
Am I pleased we made the break and came over? Absolutely! Is it easy? Not necessarily... but there are certainly moments of magic and what an amazing experience for us and our boys – we will never be the same people again! And that is exactly what I had hoped for, for myself and for our family.My personal lifeline is my esty shop and facebook page selling the jewelry items I assemble. I need to have that creative outlet, as much as I live and breathe. I discovered this about the same time as we were offered the opportunity to come over here - life is certainly full of surprises! I know now to trust my gut instinct; I do get a sense of whether things are the right option or not, and when I follow that instinct, good things tend to follow. Not perfect, not always comfortable, but growth opportunities, and where more doors will continue to open - like a positive version of Pandora's box!.
So my blog will be a mixture of all the experiences that make up my life at the moment. And please be patient with me, because this really is on the job training for me, and my blog and the layout is a work in progress – it will get better, trust me!All I know is that I want to share things that happen in my life. I’m curious about the people behind the faces of my favourite facebook pages and etsy shops, and I’m sure you are too!
The biggest satisfaction for me will be if reading this inspires you to seek out great things in your life, to follow your heart wherever it leads, and have the courage to do what you know you must. If we can do this, believe me, anyone can!
Right. There it is. Number one blog done and dusted as we move into Easter weekend - so Happy Easter to you all! (Or Santa Semana, or Turismo week if you are also here in Uruguay)
One final thing – here are the winners of the first giveaway promotion for Rosamundi Trinkets: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RosamundiTrinkets
The winner of the vintage diamante earrings is: Claire Ward
The winner of the “Paris in the springtime” charm necklace is: Joelene Pakau
Congratulations to the winners! Look out for our next giveaway - make sure you are a fan of Rosamundi Trinkets on facebook to receive updates on future promotions and new items in my etsy online store.I look forward to enjoying your company in the future!
