Get A Move On

As I glanced over my last day's writing, I smiled to myself. I thought that it was only when I went overseas that I found the beginning challenging. I had forgotten how I was when I returned to London after 8 years away, to start a new life there.

I imagined that as I was returning to my home city things would magically fall into place, I'd be coming back to a life that already existed. But I was like anyone else turning up in the city for the first time. I had to find work, somewhere to live, make friends and start a social life from scratch. It wasn't going to be any easier for me, just because I was from London. 

I remember feeling incredibly impatient, wanting to feel settled and sorted but knowing it would take time. The title to this entry "Get A Move On" is the title of a song by Mr Scruff. I used to listen to it a lot in the early years. Both the title and the tempo capture my mood exactly at that time - I was in a hurry to get to a place that you can't necessarily get to quickly. I was like that as a child, trying to make things happen more quickly than they should. Once at school, we had to plant some maize seeds and watch them grow. My impatience meant that I couldn't resist digging around in the soil to see how they were growing. I mistook the roots for shoots and worried that my plants were all growing in the wrong direction, painstakingly turned every seed upside down so that the roots were facing upwards, out of the soil. Not surprisingly, all my "shoots" withered and died. 

Luckily I gained a little wisdom over the years. Although still as impatient as when I was a child, I knew that some things take time. You have to plant the seeds, put in the work looking after them and wait for them to germinate. You can't speed it up or expect things to work out wonderfully without putting a lot in. As it was, things fell into place very quickly in London. I got a job at the Foreign Office within weeks of arriving in the city and found somewhere to live a little while later. I met some wonderful people, made some great friends and found myself at some of the best parties in London. 

Now in Ibiza, I'm just about to start sowing my seeds again. These seeds will lead to work, which means being able to stay on the island. I know what has to be done, the effort that needs to be put in and soon I should be reaping the rewards!