It has been a big decision, but once we made the decision, it all feels good. We are going home.
We arrived in Abu Dhabi as a family of two, with our suitcases and a few boxes and intended to stay two years.
Now more than double that time we are a family of five, many boxes and suitcases and a dog.
We have loved our time in the United Arab Emirites, life has been good to us. However we feel it is time that the girls go to Australia, spend time with family and get into school in Australia.
Recently we had Bert's Aunt Helga here from Canada and the girls loved her being here so much. She was someone with links to the family, she has known Bert since he was a little boy. I saw how they listened to her and loved her dearly. I realized that is what we are missing in our lives, extended family.
We have made so many wonderful friends here. Muslim, Christians and Hindus and probably quite a lot of other faiths I cannot think of right now. We have experienced sandstorms, a few earthquakes. We have worked our way around a lot of confusing rules and traditions, but most of all we have had fun and go home changed and better people for the experience.
The friends who have impacted our lives are too many to mention. Work collegues, neighbours, friends from all corners of the world all made the experience that much richer and more fun.
The greatest experience however has been the outpouring of generosity and extreme kindness we were shown by everyone we came in contact with since adopting the girls. Rose recently said to me, everyone is so kind to us, but before my life in Ethiopia everyone was mean to me. For every person who dropped off gifts for her birthday, or cakes, or your own childrens outgrown clothes for my girls, you have taught them a powerful lesson. That the world can be a kind place. And they experienced that for the first time in Abu Dhabi.
We arrived in Abu Dhabi as a family of two, with our suitcases and a few boxes and intended to stay two years.
Now more than double that time we are a family of five, many boxes and suitcases and a dog.
We have loved our time in the United Arab Emirites, life has been good to us. However we feel it is time that the girls go to Australia, spend time with family and get into school in Australia.
Recently we had Bert's Aunt Helga here from Canada and the girls loved her being here so much. She was someone with links to the family, she has known Bert since he was a little boy. I saw how they listened to her and loved her dearly. I realized that is what we are missing in our lives, extended family.
We have made so many wonderful friends here. Muslim, Christians and Hindus and probably quite a lot of other faiths I cannot think of right now. We have experienced sandstorms, a few earthquakes. We have worked our way around a lot of confusing rules and traditions, but most of all we have had fun and go home changed and better people for the experience.
The friends who have impacted our lives are too many to mention. Work collegues, neighbours, friends from all corners of the world all made the experience that much richer and more fun.
The greatest experience however has been the outpouring of generosity and extreme kindness we were shown by everyone we came in contact with since adopting the girls. Rose recently said to me, everyone is so kind to us, but before my life in Ethiopia everyone was mean to me. For every person who dropped off gifts for her birthday, or cakes, or your own childrens outgrown clothes for my girls, you have taught them a powerful lesson. That the world can be a kind place. And they experienced that for the first time in Abu Dhabi.
