"We're planning for New York City... I'm a bit scared..." I said
"This is the first time, ever, that I hear you say you're scared. You'll be fine..." my younger brother said
"You've been all over the world and now you're scared? It will all be okay..." my youngest brother said
Of course, they were right...
Where do I even begin - writing a new blog post - when I haven't used my dear blog for so long and so much has happened...
Reasons
We left Dubai on July 1, 2015 - almost a year ago. It seems much longer and at the same time feels like we just left a month ago. We had so many new experiences, during our world trip - which went from 7 to 8 months - and another 2 months of exploring schools and where shall we live? If you have followed along on social media, you will have seen a bit of how our journey went and that we are now in New York City.
Honestly - I lost count of how many people have said to us that they also want to travel, or make a trip, visit another country or finally go to that special place, I truly can't tell you how many! I always say this - If you really want to go away for a weekend, a world trip or any kind of journey - Do It! Find a way, be patient and start planning, buy less other (not needed) stuff and save some money, create an option, close one door and open another - you get were I'm going with this. Start with a small trip or weekend away - it doesn't have to be far away from your home or even for a long period of time. But if you really want to travel, if you want to explore other places than the ones you already know, do it while you can. The biggest mistake we all make is thinking we have Time. Maybe we do, maybe we don't...
For us - we have done it and are truly happy we did. We planned for a while and saved money, talked about it and discussed it many times and words were spoken loudly. Before our leaving period in Dubai, we also had many guests and were packing our belongings again to be stored in a container for who knows how long, and we had to say goodbye to family and friends - it was good and hectic at the same time. The last 10 days of school we lived in a hotel apartment, which was truly our sanctuary place amidst all the changes, planning and goodbyes.
Yes, we are used to travelling and moving around. But this time it was different - no steady job anymore, no country planned for the future and not to forget, we also were leaving our home, again. Do we make it seem easy? Let me tell you this, it will never feel like a walk in the park. You still need that looong to do list, putting aside your emotional feelings and just get on with it. Does it get easier? Yes. Easy? No, not really. But that's a choice we make. Because somehow we always seem to choose the hard way, instead of choosing the well travelled easy route. Still, I would not have it any other way.
So, would I recommend it - travelling the world with kids and bag packs? Absolutely! I even will write about this part - I just started working on a new website, with more sections and a different look - coming soon!
Would I recommend not having a place to call home at the end of such a big trip? No country in sight to end your journey and start afresh? No. That littletiny big part of the plan, that part I would not recommend. But, as usual, we ignored this part completely (it's called sanity) and we experienced it all - the good days and the bad days.
"We must be crazy..." we said to each other on many occasions. More to pep each other up - because we clearly are not feeling crazy. Still, we did it and the adventure part 'the not knowing', the open end, the endless feeling of freedom - that was something we both wanted and wanted to show our girls. Life is about making choices, sometimes it works, other times it doesn't feel good. But at least you have experienced it all. To step out of our comfort zones and re-think what we wanted to do with our lives and the freedom to choose and change our minds, that part we fully embrace and we know our girls will see this (later in life) as an extra special part of their upbringing.
New York City
In hindsight - Daniel always wanted to go back to the USA. We have lived in Houston, Texas from 2002-2004. He wanted to go back for the lifestyle but it also made sense work wise. The girls where divided where to live - most important factor of course was which school to pick in their preferred countries. As for me, I wanted a whole new way of living our lives. A slower way of living, near a beach, perhaps even have a pet chicken... never say never, right? But for now, city living called our names again and tugged at our hearts. And not just any city... the city that never sleeps. In my eyes, New York is a Lady (one that made me feel scared - even for a moment or two). We love NYC but still, it is not for everybody.
New York City is a tough cookie. She is not to be messed with and you need to be prepared - to not get lost in her many streets, avenues, alleyways and especially to not get lost in the quick and expensive way of living. Is this the right place to bring our girls back for longer than a holiday? I'm honest - it was on my mind. The businesses, the crowds, the noise, the grime, the crime - this is truly Big City living. But again, we listened to our hearts and trusted it all will be fine. So far our hearts were right.
We love New York City.
With all her flaws and special charms, she wooed us years ago and still does. Yes, it's all of the above but also it's a powerful place - filled with lots of energy and possibilities. With friendly, down to earth people from all over the world - which suits us like a glove. New York is a Lady who prefers mixtures and different spices. Either you like your city hot or not. She will not care less. Because this city goes on, and on... The beauty of it is, you can choose - be part of it all, all the time or choose when and where you want to join her. I simply choose to walk and turn around a corner - any corner and all of a sudden, you are in the middle of piece and quietness. You will hear birds, walk around the many parks and enjoy the small specialty stores, where people still great each other on the streets and where strangers are helpful to point out the nearest subway station. I've seen plenty of goodness already in this city. Then again, people can be loud on their phones, honking their car horns like there is no tomorrow and people saying the F-word more than you want to hear...
Yes, New York City has many stories and sides to share - a special section about this Lady will be on the new site as well. In the mean time, have a look on social media, where I'm sharing some more on a daily basis - on my Instagram account, @the.moksi.homes or on Facebook /The Moksi Homes page.
And if you are wondering which part of New York we think is special, it's Brooklyn.
That's the part of her that won our hearts.
Maureen x
