At home...?

At the beginning of week three, things are beginning to feel a bit more organised…We are in our own home, essential furniture has been acquired, and a few proper meals have been cooked… But it still feels as though I am making my way through a forest of thick bushes – we keep pushing past one thick bush only to find another in our way, and still not sure where you are going. The bushes vary – some you need to bend and climb under, some you push through, others you have to try to chop down altogether… It feels a bit like an obstacle course, as though there might be a huge prize at the end if we succeed. Of course there is – a happy fulfilled life for all the family here in Gloucester! But I need the cheering crowds!

The obstacles at the moment mainly consist of our housing, furnishing our home, the container which is arriving in port on 25^th August and in particular, where to put all the stuff that is in it. The problem is that the house we own, which we are now living in as of two days ago, is just a bit too small for us. It is manageable, but, for example, Abby and Alex share a room (she has chosen purple and he has chosen red white and blue, hmm) and there is no guest room; when we all sit at the little dining table no-one can go in and out of the room, since one chair has to block the door. There is nowhere to put wet shoes on entering the house as the front door opens onto a tiny hallway and the stairs go straight up from it. We bought the house as an investment, to let, and never intended to live in it, and it is a real blessing to be able to be here just now – but we don’t think we want to stay in it for very long. However, the alternatives are all very sketchy at this point. If we can let it out again, we could rent another bigger place ourselves. One great place is available so that could work, IF the agent will accept us as tenants even though we don’t have a definite income this year. Our savings might be enough to convince them, we shall see. If I can get a job, we could definitely rent or MAYBE get a mortgage. If we could sell this house, we could buy a bigger house – that is if we could realistically get a mortgage, which is unlikely at this time both because of the recession and because we don’t have a definite income. If we end up staying in this house, we shall have to store most of our container-full of stuff. If our friends buy the house they hope to, they have offered to let us use their garage, if it isn’t too damp. If we stay in this house, we need small furniture to make the most of the space, but if we move to the bigger rental place, we can wait and buy some bigger chests of drawers etc. Every decision starts with an if. Grrr!! Let the metaphor change from hacking through a dense forest, to playing a huge game of dominoes…

Whilst all the uncertainties are tricky, we are grateful for what we have, a warm roof over our heads, a great park at the end of the road, very friendly neighbours up and down this street… Two invitations out for meals with new friends already… many gifts of furniture and small household items from people we barely know, including the family who have just left from here for Uganda, giving us their duvet and sheets, a printer, dishes and certain kitchen things as they walked out the door!  All things we specifically needed since we didn’t bring them from Uganda. So we do feel blessed. 

We have had various conversations along the lines of:  “what shall we do if we don’t feel happy here…” “how shall we manage if we end up having to stay in this house…”  and finally, inevitably, from Alex today, “Why can’t we go back to Uganda where everything was perfect?”