[lisa]

Hi

as most of you know we are leaving for CHC in 10 days time. I have been thinking while packing today that we have had some lovely days recently with family that would never have happened if we weren't going.
I found this quite a sad thought really and wondered if anyone else felt the same? mind you my emotions are all over the place at the moment !!
Look forward to hearing your views.

Lisa :P

[pleccy2000]

I was totally the same.

The way I saw it was that I was grateful that I even had family to leave, think about and communicate with in the future.

Many don't.

[Moorf]

Same here Lisa - spent so much time with friends and family before we left that I began to wonder why oh why would I want to leave this happy band of people - however, without wanting to sound too callous - that time spent with them wouldn't have happened if we HADN'T of been leaving for NZ and suddenly I "forgot" how annoying and draining some family and friends could be (selective memory!) - and I can honestly say I talk more with my family and friends now (albeit on phone/internet) than we did when we lived a few hundred miles from them in Scotland! :eek

Strangely - our going away party only seemed to make me MORE guilty for leaving - cried for hours after the party - not sure why ( was it "thank god I'm leaving" or "what on earth are we doing" !!) :uhoh

Homesickness comes and goes - and I've only really had 1 or 2 "bad" episodes since being here ( been here 9 mths) - and you can't say how badly you will get it until you are here (or if, indeed, you will get it at all!).

All I can say is, you'll run through every emotion you can think of over the next few weeks/months - go with the flow, know that we all go through similar experiences and emotions and that it's quite normal to get a little doubtful or homesick along the way.

How excititing though - Chch in 10 days - I feel another Chch meet coming on :cheers :cheers

[lindajax]

Lisa,
Isn't it wierd how people are when it gets very close to D day.
I have had more meaningful conversations with my dad since I left the UK than before.... sort of brought us closer in one way...

I agree with you about the lovely times before leaving we had dinners , parties, drinks, lunches etc and seemed to spend fab times with people that maybe we hadn't devoted enough time to when they were so avaialble but I sort of think thats part of the process of other people accepting you going.
They want to get a last look and so do you --- perfectly normal. When you have these 'times' no-one wants to spoil the situation so they all go so well you wonder why things weren't like that before -- I know I did.

Just enjoy these last times with significant people and keep them with you when you get here..

Love to you and Yours

Linda x

[Nicola]

Lisa I was just thinking the same thing myself.

Since I have finished working full time, in preperation for the move, I have had so many invites to visit friends. Some who I have not seen for years and years. Infact one of them who was a bridesmaid of mine 25 years ago :oops: (I was a really young and very stupid bride, honestly) and I have only seen breifly in passing since then. It has been so good catching up and getting to know them well again. I hope that they will come and visit me in NZ, they have all said they will.

So a very bitter sweet thing, would I have had these invites and have made the effort if I was not going to NZ. Very nice to get to know them, but makes the leaving all the harder.

Nicola

[Danpoll]

I found the strangest thing was walking past the depature screen as soon as the family were out of sight for god knows how long then our new adventure began. But as the others jhave said I am closer to my family than ever before I have said more to my brother in emails in the last month than we spoke in 25 years. Maybe its easier to leave than to be left behind as we start our new lifes their olds ones continue but with an element missing. There are times that I forget Iam 25 hours from london and still think Iam in the Uk. Enjoy the times and savour them as it will probably be some time before you can hug a family member again.

Dan