The decision

December 2014 

We’ve made the call.

It’s something we’d thought about for a few months. Almost as soon as I suggested it to Rach, she was keen, but I was less sure though. I still needed time to feel comfortable with the idea, despite raising it myself. Come hell or high water, we would make a call by 11.59pm on 31 December 2014.

My reticence was mostly because of the prospects of finding work in whatever country we landed in, and when we eventually returned. The couple of months I spent looking for work after I finished university at the end of 2011 were the hardest months of my life, something I didn’t particularly want to go through again. Did I really want to throw away my secure job for a dream like this?

But as I thought more and more about it, I became more comfortable with the idea. I mean, we could both live and work anywhere in the EU once our passports were issued, something a lot of other people would kill for. If we didn’t make the move, would we really want to spend the rest of our lives wondering what might have been? And what better way to see the rest of the world outside little old New Zealand than by living in it?

I’d also talked to my manager about whether the Ministry could be flexible about long term leave. It initially seemed limited, but we found out there was a ray of light: an arrangement which might leave the door open to some position somewhere in the Ministry if I returned within 15 months. A nice little option.

I’d taken a few months to get there, but finally had made up my mind. So during a delicious dinner at Capitol restaurant almost a month early, over a glass of Negroamaro (me) and Riesling (Rach) and a scrumptious meal I made the call. She was delighted, we toasted and immediately began our planning.

I had originally thought Rach was keen on moving to London, and had almost been preparing myself mentally for London life. But she had given it a lot of thought, and wasn’t so sure of it – we’ve done London, and we can live somewhere a bit more exotic. She’s quite open to living on the continent – particularly Italy (next on our destination list) France or Spain – or Scotland or Ireland. Any of those sound great to me!

We’ve started getting the wheels in motion – both of our passport applications will be lodged soon after Christmas, and we've told our parents – but there’s a hell of a lot to be done to get this adventure in motion. It’s a scary and daunting prospect, making such a big move, but it’s so exciting at the same time.

So we’ve decided that we will be moving to Europe in the next 12 months – but where? When? And how?