People keep asking me how the return to Belgium is going ... what can I say?
We have been pleasantly surprised by the 9 celsius temperatures we've had since returning but the grey grey days are testing me. It's winter, I know, but Belgium does grey in a way that is unlike any other place I have known. My tan will surely be leached out of me ... perhaps within days.
I miss New Zealand food. I went to a Delhaize supermarket yesterday and came away sad over not finding anything nice, then realised I was searching for New Zealand food. Just that. Nothing else would do.
We are still tired after 60 hours mostly awake as we crossed the world, and in crazy-making ways. Yesterday we set up my work station here at the desk and later, as we failed in so many ways at the supermarket, we realised that we had potentially used up our daily quota of intelligence on the work station. The intricacies of supermarket shopping were all but beyond us.
Last night, coming home from a new year party, Gert kept nodding off on the tram. He had to be quicker in recovering than me, as he has already had two days back at work ... but there was a price it seems.
I miss the freedom of driving long distances through beautiful scenery on almost empty roads. I miss the little red car. I miss mountains and rivers, endless coastlines, and the variations of forest and bush. The smell of the air. I miss sunshine, family and friends. I miss a lot of things but I'm almost sure it will be okay fitting back into life here.
I'm not going to ruin my life with all that I miss. After all, it's as Justine Musk recently wrote, it is time for you to go on an adventure.
Here's to some good adventures in 2013 ... for all of us.
