Six Months

(Here is a moody picture taken on the Thames Clipper as we glided down past Canary Wharf...)

It dawned on me as I was walking home from work, bundled up against the cold and admiring the Christmas lights on my street, that I've been in London now for six months. This time of year feels significant for many people because it's the end of the old year and the beginning of 2009 and so I suppose it's a bit natural to be thinking back and looking forward at the same time.

The last six months have been such an exhilirating ride; full of challenges, adventures, and dreams come true. I couldn't have imagined what would happen, and I think I'm still guessing. I'm an incredibly lucky girl to have been able to set off to try a life in a different place and have it unfold like a story day after day. There've been many changes: learning to travel alone, in other languages, with other people; living in the same city as old friends and meeting many new ones; the difference of working in the UK and back home, learning how to work with colleagues and patients of many different cultures and nationalities, adapting to a different way and pace of life, (and not to mention falling in love).

Christmastime here is novel for me, the white snow, robins and Nordic pines, goose and turkey for dinner with steamed pudding for dessert all makes sense. It also makes me think of home - hot lazy days sitting outside in the dry grass listening to cicadas, our Christmas lunch of cooked ham, and family time just relaxing while on summer holiday. It's fun to ask my colleagues and patients what they'll have for Christmas as the answers are so different. Turkey and goose, pheasants, duck... lots of different types of bird! What will you have on the Christmas table?

It's my last week at work (three more days to go!) then I'll have Christmas week off and work sporadically through January. Very much looking forward to it.