Return of friends

I really do think time passes so much more quickly in NZ and can hardly believe that it has been 9 weeks since our good friends Norman and Linda left to visit the UK. They came back at the weekend and we had a good chat over coffee and lunch. I was interested to hear how they felt and what changes they had noticed. They used to live in the same area as we did, so it was interesting to hear about the changes to Durham City with new building work down by the river. It was meetings with friends that I was keen to hear about. A lot of expats I talk to say that if only they could bring their friends out here life would be perfect. I say "bollocks", if you came out here to start a new life, then that includes making new friends. Norman's experience with his friends in the UK kind of backs up my thoughts. The thing is, emigrating completely changes your life, and friends and relatives back in the UK have no grasp of the experience that you have been through, of the new cultures and the things you have seen and done. For those friends nothing has really changed in their lives, and why would it. They will tell you about their new car or how the local team is doing and for me this all seems insignificant trivia now. But what I have experienced when talking on the phone to relatives, is that they are not really interested in what we are doing or how we are living, I listen to their news and just before they hang up you might get a "so are you alright then". I think the point I am trying to make here is, do not let the thought of moving away from friends stop you from starting a great new life. Your friend's lives will carry on as usual, you may here from them for a few months after you move out here, and then you are forgotten. Don't worry about it, because there are new friends to be made and a great life to be had, if you really want it.