The Geographic Solution

I wish the geographic solution were possible. If it were, I would have packed my two bags with my ten pair of shoes and left a lot of the other things I brought with me at home. Things like my anxiety that things aren't going to work out, my impatience with my children and their temperament, and my completely unrealistic desire to be both left alone and embraced by other people at the same time. I would have travelled with only my sunny disposition, my 43 year old self-assured self. (The twelve-year-old-afraid-she-is-a-a-big-fat-ugly-geek-who-nobody-likes would definitely have spent a year in storage), and my sense of can do adventure which got us into this lovely mess in the first place.

We have got a lot set up so far.

We did finally find an apartment to rent. Not the one right by the beach that we had originally thought was going to work out. Turns out we were "unsuitable" tenants after all. The owners thought we were too many people, and given the complete horrible parents that Steve and I are and how we have no control over the kids, they are probably right. It delayed the kids' start of school by one day, but yesterday they headed off, in their matching jade shirts and navy blue trousers, as they say around here. And it, of course, turned out all right.

Our house is a three bedroom three blocks off the beach, in a neighborhood which supposedly has a lot of boys and is around the corner from their school. We move in September 11. It is a much better fit for us than the first house. I wish I could have trusted a little more. I didn't freak out on the outside while the other housing fell apart, but on the inside…well, I might go a few weeks earlier in the end for all the anxiety I put into it. Wasted energy.

We bought a car. NZ's oldest car (that is not a classic). It is a 92' Toyota Vista and cost the equivalent of about $1800. It comes with a 30 day trade in guarantee and a guarantee that they will buy it back for about $1000 at the end of the year. So if after driving it for a month we think we are nuts for buying such a clunker, we will trade up. But I think it will be perfect for a 12 month car and then we can get rid of it and they can pass it on to the next suck-- oh I mean, next guys.

As I wrote, the kids went to school yesterday at the Sumner school. Ruby also started at Pebbles, a preschool. He will start Year 0 (Kindergarten) on November 1^st. So on November 1^st all the children will be at one school, at least till February. Then Sam will go to a new school – high school. (We haven't figured out which one yet, cause we are zoned for the bad high school and now I have to scramble to get him out of district placement which is what everyone in Sumner does.) If I can't, he will go to the local school and get a good cross section of Kiwi society, a good experience in its own right. I have to remember, it all works out exactly like it is supposed to. My efforts to push and shove life into a predetermined box end up in...a house with no windows. (For those of you who never saw the house we just sold, this is an excellent description.)

So...Idid bring myself along on this trip, anxieties and all. I will try to practice my breathing. In and out, in and out. It will all work out. At least I have the right shoes to wear no matter what happens.