The prequel.
With emerging sprouts of hopes and energising dreams, we acknowledged
our itchy feet and followed the greener grass.
And it has been a year already!!
We spent over three months planning, thinking and writing down the pros and
cons, calculating the costs, etc.
Then one day “aye” took over “nae”. The decision was made. It was my second
big decision in the past 12-odd years, and probably the most difficult one to
date.
With a heavy heart, I submitted my resignation from the place that glued me for
over six years. This was supposed to be my placeholder job. As a newly
qualified technician, I wanted to start a career in IT, but I needed a way to
bring home the bacon (or vegan/vegetarian equivalent).
The funny thing is, I hadn’t even applied for this particular job.
I got rejected by a train company, but for some reason, they decided
to transfer my details to their sister company. No GDPR police, please!! It was
2008.
I got a text message offering a job interview. Initially, I wanted to
dismiss it. Then decided to go for a day trip, preparing to deal with a
potential scam. The interview went smoothly, then I was offered a position the
following week!!
The buzz of this new workplace and a few very nice humans made me forget my
initial goal of moving to IT. I was stuck there for over six years. I hope to
write and share my experiences one day. (Teaser: Work is in progress)
I didn’t miss the company itself. It wasn’t the best one to work for, to be
honest. The management lacked serious training and the branch manager was
strange (more about this in my “work”). But I did miss some very nice people
there.
The next job I took was as an advisor for a big insurance company, which
turned out to be a not-so-good decision. (Again, details later)
We made several train journeys between London and Edinburgh after finally
calling Scotland our new home.
Initially, we stayed with a kind relative for a few months. We wanted to
move out and rent, but this gentleman, probably one of the nicest people I
know, insisted that we save up to buy a house, rather than “wasting” money on
rent.
What a gentleman!
But it wasn’t fair, as he wouldn’t want us to pay for anything- not even
groceries! He had a big heart, but we could see him struggling financially, as
he was the only breadwinner in his family.
So, we decided to rent nearby.
And after a couple of months, we moved to our new house.
It was not easy at the beginning, but we have settled now and are looking
forward to seeing whether the grass is green or we are all becoming green-sighted!!