“OK, so I decided to move to the UAE. What do I do next?” “Err, let’s make a to-do-list, that should help.”

 

After the inital exitement, tinged with a little bit of panic (‘Should I really do this? Will I like it there?’) about the actual decision, comes the hands-on organisation. And believe me, there’s a lot that needs organising when you’re moving to another country. For me, the first draft of a list looked a bit like this:

 

• Sell house
• Organise goodbye party
• Find new house
• HAVE THE TICKETS BEEN BOOKED YET, BY THE WAY?!
• Breathe, just breathe (forgot my yoga class again)
• Stuff everything into six suitcases, grab the laptop and DON’T FORGET THE HAGELSLAG!

 

How do yo move to another country? People do it every day and America wouldn’t be the same if every adventurer had stayed at home, snug as a bug in a rug next to a cosy fire. But how did they go about it, exactly? That’s what I’d like to know. Their list should have looked a bit like this:

 

• Go to the harbour
• Buy a ticket for a place on a ship that sails across the ocean
• Sit on a ship for weeks on end
• Think about ways to keep in contact with family and friends back home
• Write a long letter using a goosequill, paper and ink
• SEEING THAT THERE’S A STORM COMING
• Breathe, just breathe
• Docking

 

Those were the days. In all cases, I guess, it all comes down to just taking the leap (‘Just do it’, Nike says). And all’s well that ends well.