My time in England, and Europe, with Karlos - was really special. Being able to visit my home country after so long living away was always going to be great, but bringing Karlos along with me - so he could finally see where I am from and understand my roots, and therefore me, better - was amazing. It was a wonderful two months emersing myself in time with family, friends, English history and culture. Oh yes! Believe it or not, we do have a culture that extends beyond rain, cups of tea, whinging and football hooligans! Just what made me think two months was going to be enough - god only knows! It wasn't.
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We had a wonderful time with my family in the north, and it was really special staying at my Nana and Grandad's house - a place where I spent many, many days of my childhood - playing, laughing, and learning. To have Karlos there with me was really bonding for us. We were in a place so far from where we met, where he grew up and has lived his life - in another country, in another continent, in another hemisphere. A place where so much of 'me' belongs - and he could finally connect with that. We visited lots of my family - on their farm, at their local pubs, in their sitting rooms - and Karlos fit in like he had been a part of me for always. I am only sorry we didn't have time to visit all of my family members, and that those we did visit couldn't have been much longer. But my heart will always be there - and I will return soon.
(One of several family dinners and catch ups).
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We had a wonderful time with my best friend, Vicky, in the south west - and it was really special staying with her and her lovely partner, James, and having Karlos and James hit it off like long lost friends, whilst Vix and I hung out like no time had passed at all between our last catch up. Vix and I have grown up together - we have been best friends since we were just 3 years old - starting school together, learning lessons and growing together, performing in plays together, swotting for exams together, playing sport together, going on holidays together, crying over boyfriends together, laughing over silly friends together, and singing into our hairbrushes. And when I left England in 2000, our friendship survived 11,000 miles and a 12-hour time difference, and scheduled telephone calls if ever we wanted a chat. It survived 4 years apart, a time when I moved back and we turned 20 together, but then another 4 years apart. But the moment we saw each other again, we picked up exactly where we left off - and after the initial squeals and tears and hugs, we were soon just two old, comfortable friends. Nothing had changed. Even though we have both grown up - and Vix is now a teacher and owns her own house and is very grown up indeed - we are still those two young girls making sense of the world and sharing life's happiness together. And even though I still wish I could pack her in my suitcase and bring her back to NZ with me, I am happy knowing how strong our friendship is. And we spent many hours laughing at the lads - Karlos and James - and their new bromance. Becoming almost as close as Vix and I - sharing private jokes and being as thick as thieves. Those were happy days.
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I caught up with many more friends (although the friends I didn't have time to visit were unfortunately a much larger number).
I caught up with some of the girls I went to primary school with and the changes and the constants never cease to amaze me. We are still the same girls, still the same personalities, still getting the same enjoyment from each others' company - but now one of us is married, and two others are mums, and many own houses, and there has been university and travelling and lots of other grown up things - and we are no longer innocent. Life has swept us along in many different directions - but we have still maintained a connection and a bond with each other and that is so special. And that is something my life in NZ will always be missing.
I also caught up with the lovely Alison McCausland, someone who I've known since I was a very young girl, someone who not only encouraged my acting abilities, she wholeheartedly believed in them and provided me with so many opportunities to be on the stage. We caught up and watched some videos of our old plays... transporting me right back to another part of my life...
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And at the end of my time in England, sitting in Heathrow airport with tears escaping from my eyes and Karlos holding onto me tightly, I realised something: whilst I wished for more time with family, and more time with long-lost friends, and enough time to make it to Greece - it wasn't meant to be, this time... And no matter how much time I spend in the UK, and Europe, it'll never, ever be enough ~ and this is what keeps me tied to the place... and forever thinking of my 'next visit.' But visit it will always be.
~ Comet xo
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