Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Slowly starting our goodbyes...

As Gaurav put it very pointedly: It sucks that we're leaving Australia. Given all the different factors, however, it was the best choice we could make. That obviously doesn't mean that the decision wasn't heart wrenchingly difficult.

We have now been living in Sydney for almost exactly 3 years and it has truly become our home in that time. We've got friends, a social life, regular activities like bushwalking or geocaching and our every day life is running really smoothly. After our move back to Europe, we'll have to set everything up again. Luckily enough, we already know a couple of people in and around Tilburg - so it's not like starting completely from scratch.

The hardest part of leaving a place you call home for at least some time of your life is saying goodbye to people who are dear to your heart. You know you are going to miss them terribly (yes, I'm talking about you guys, Gaurav and Gunjan), but you still try and keep a brave face. I guess the advantage to slow long goodbyes is that you can talk about all the good times spent together, spend lots of time together and start making plans for future visits. Modern technology will definitely help us keep in touch!

But in the end it all comes down to giving each other a great big hug, trying not to cry and then walking away without looking back. Just writing this brings tears to my eyes... |sniff|

Oh well, there are still a couple of weeks to go - 12 to be precise. Let's make the most of it!

2 comments:

Menno said...

I already wanted to write a comment on Guarav's post, but I thought I'd leave it for a day.

As Tanja wrote, it was not an easy decision. Almost everyday I think about this decision and again I have some doubts. I am glad that we made a decision though (and it turned out to be this one), so now we can mentally prepare for this. Australia has been our home for 3 years and it will always have a warm place in our heart. That includes the people we know here, the great experiences we've had here, etc.

Gunjan said...

Knowing how much you guys love Australia, I know it must have been a very difficult decision. But we all also know that this is something that you have to do.
Like you said Tanja, what makes Sydney so special is the people we have met and become friends with here.
Given the amount of time Gaurav and I spend everyday talking about Colwin and the stuff he does, it is difficult to believe that we won't be around to watch him grow every week. Saying goodbye will be very hard, but we will keep in touch and make future plans and most of all cherish the time we have now!

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