move to England

A week tomorrow, on the 26th February 2009 at just before midnight, I will be boarding a plane to the UK and waving goodbye to everything familiar. I’m terrified, and I’m excited. I’m preparing myself. Today I started packing suitcases; anyone want a job sitting on them for me? I never realized how many clothes I had until I tried to squish them into two suitcases and 42 kilos! God I’m nervous!

I’m all set to go…

I’ve handed in my notice at work, I’ll be finishing there at the end of January.
I’ve told my landlord that I’m terminating my housing contract as of 5th January. I’ll move back in with my mom for the last 2 months I’m here, so that I can save on rent/bills etc to save up some cash before I move out there.
I’m in the process of selling all my furniture this week (so much hassle! If anyone lives in HK and needs new furniture, let me know!), so that I can be ready to move back in with my mom in a few short weeks.
Sorted out with my sister that I’ll be living with her when I get there, in Hull. Not the most divine place in the world, but it won’t be forever, and it’s convenient.
The only thing left to do now is get a plane ticket. Easy.

I’m planning on moving to the UK in late February. It’s been a really hard choice to make because, even though I was born there and lived there until I was 10, I’ve been living in Hong Kong since and fully consider it home here. But there are things drawing me to England:
- My brother and sister live there, and I have three nephews (my brother has two kids, my sister has one). My sister is a new mom, is single, and is only 19, so I would love to be around to support her.
- I want to study and get a degree, and obviously it’s usually easiest to go back to your home country for something like that, just for expenses and accessibility. I did look at unis here in Hong Kong but they’re just so not right for me.
- I get itchy feet. In the past 3 years I’ve moved house twice which, in Hong Kong which is pretty tiny, is a bit of an accomplishment. I just feel the need for change a lot.
- Change of scenery and a blank slate. ‘Nuff said.
- Learning to drive, which they charge EXTORTIONATE amounts for here in Hong Kong.

There’s more that I can’t get into here. It’s going to be so hard to tear myself away from here though. Some days it feels so wrong, I find myself trying to talk me out of it, telling me it’s the worst idea I’ve ever had. But then other days I look around and feel so claustrophobic, and just know that I have to get out sometime.