Why indeed?!? Well, it's an adventure isn't it?
The idea become more of a plan way back in 2002 when Steven and I got married on the Greek Island of Santorini, then proceeded to go on a weddingmoon in Germany and Austria to do the meet and greet thing with our relatives and to wander around exploring castles, drinking wine, indulging in local cuisine and soaking up the art, culture and history.
We had a great time and of course, these happy memories make you say things like, "I wish we could live here one day for a year." And of course, your hubby agrees wholeheartedly and makes you a promise that we will indeed to that very thing.
But...then you go back home to the reality of working and buying a house and making mortgage payments and having a baby and raising your daughter, and slowly your dream of living abroad starts slipping away a little each day. Still, the thought is always there at the back of your mind when it's quiet, or you're lying in bed before you have to get up; whispering and beckoning to you.
You start inquiries at work and find out about a 4 over 5 plan and approach your husband in excitement, but he is not as enthusiastic as you are. He says you have only been a teacher for five years and will not reach top salary for 10 years and times are tight. You give in and wait and wait until another six years go by in a blink of an eye and the whispers of travel are starting to get fainter and fainter and you decide that it's time to listen to that voice and finally put your plan into motion to make the dream a reality.
You start by planning that sabbatical which means applying in writing to your employer and asking for a sabbatical year off. This entails a 20% salary reduction for four years. The fifth year is when that money is given back to you with interest so that you have some money coming in the year you are off.
You do this all and then sit down with your husband and tell him that it's done; the plan is in motion. He is not happy at the reduced income, but you stand your ground. It gets dicier two years in when your husband loses his job and he asks you to give up the sabbatical, but again, you stand your ground and say you are willing to give up your car, or TV cable or a winter vacation, but you will not give up your sabbatical.
Husband sees you are firm in your stance, so he starts looking for a new job with an international company and after many many interviews, finds one! Now it's more real and you start preparing for that year.
It's a very difficult year with hubby traveling to Europe off and on, sometimes for weeks while you parent your daughter, begin teaching a new grade; eight, and start to organize packing.
You become very stressed and have to give up on beginning your masters of education program at the University of Toronto that you got accepted to and defer it for a year while struggling with the enormous workload of teaching grade 8, learning the curriculum and preparing the students for Confirmation, a wilderness trip away for a week, and grade 8 graduation, all while trying to pack up your class and your home and thinking of how to rent it out and who to give your rabbits away to all the while your daughter is giving you constant grief on moving and your family is questioning your sanity and not being very supportive about your move.
Your health suffers and you start getting headaches and feel exhausted and your stomach starts hurting and you begin to question whether you're doing the right thing. You see less and less of your friends and family as you stay at work very late, then collapse into bed at night.
The month of June comes, and somehow you get through all the work preparations and packing, but cannot finish your home. Luckily, your brother had a new baby and is looking for a bigger space, so he agrees to rent your home furnished and to take care of it and your two rabbits which were a big issue with your daughter.
Saying goodbye for a year isn't easy, but your friends and colleagues are happy for you and excited for you, so that's a good feeling and you stop second guessing yourself.
You pack in a flurry and forget some things and the ocean container people come to pack your goods on an extremely hot and humid day, and that's another headache.
Then you finally leave for the airport with your stomach in knots, but knowing that there's no turning back. This is it, the adventure you've been dreaming about.
Onward to Europa!
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