It started simple enough. I needed something a little more concrete than “opportunity” to capture this whole thing. Different city, different country, naturally I drew comparisons to home. There are two glaring features: no skyline, and mountains.
I traded a skyline for mountains.
See? Simple phrase.
Apparently the only person content with that phrase, that description, was me. I don’t want to go as far as to say it’s how I’ve justified things to date, but now that I ponder its evolution, clearly others were thinking ahead of me. The phrase morphed into:
I traded half my income and a skyline for mountains.
That’s one way to say Vancouver is more expensive (which for some reason, I keep want to write as expansive) than Chicago. There was no shortage of “how it’s done” which became “how it should be done” and a fair amount of grumbling since, well, I’m making it up as I go. I’m a doer. If I sat around and waited, I’d still be sitting around. Even now, though, it’s still hard to wrap my head around things. Some days I’m not sure what the heck I’ve done, other days I’m elated I’ve done it. I’m here. The point is: I did it. Me. And what I have done, I can undo, which again, others seem to have been thinking ahead of me as the phrase become:
I traded half my income and a skyline for mountains. But it’s only two years, not a life sentence.
That puts things in perspective, no?
In my head, 18 months, roughly, looms as a kind of deadline. That’s when all the initial fun of getting a visa starts all over again. I’m guessing renewal will be just as much fun though slightly less irritating as the paperwork is already together. At least I know the hoops this time. And you know, governments have a distinct under-appreciation for their processes. In Canada, though, there seems to be a purpose behind them, other than merely employing a sister’s cousin.
Given the state of things, I can’t really begrudge those who see this as “only two years, not a life sentence.” After the events of the past few years, having been so shaken, it’s hard to think of oneself putting down roots, forging relationships and building something. Putting a time stamp on it, two years, makes it seem transitory. And I won’t deny the tug of home. I won’t deny how much easier it would be, but, to quote The Matrix, I’ve been down that road before.
I opted to take the red pill, so let’s just see how deep this particular rabbit hole goes. Or perhaps where this rabbit hole goes, as it clearly snakes around a bit.