the last post

So now, I write for the last time ...

Thanks for joining us over the years. It's been a fun packed four years. From starting a new life in a new country millions of miles from home, renovating our boat, intrepid travels, and adjusting to parenthood .... we feel like you've all been there on the journey with us!

So here we go! Follow us as we undertake what may be one of the most challenging things we've ever done and what could well be the most rewarding.

We wont be far ... we'll be here, at www.lookoutlibya.blogspot.com

So to the Land of hope and glory, Mother of the free, with a tear in our eye we bid you farewell ... until next time.

the final countdown

Two more days. Just two more days in London and our life will change as it never has before.

Today we're saying goodbye to more friends, making phone calls, re-packing our bags, doing some last minute washing and all the things necessary when you pack up your life and move it somewhere else. There's a sadness but also an incredible excitement of the unknown.

I have made contact with a friend of a friend who is living in Libya, with her husband and two year old son. She has been tremendously supportive through emails and phone calls in the lead up to our move, despite the fact we've never met, and has offered to have us over to her house on the first weekend after we arrive. I'm not sure if she will ever know how grateful we are.

Oh yeah, and according to the BBC, the weather on Wednesday in Tripoli will be 30 degrees! Not sure I can wait!

on the homestretch

After months of talking about it, we finally have a date. We are actually going to Libya. In fact, as of Wednesday afternoon we'll be calling it home.

We fly out on Wednesday morning 9ish, and arrive at 1pm in the afternoon (2pm with the time change). Hard to believe that a place which right now feels like the ends of the earth is such a short flight away. We can only imagine what we'll see, hear and smell when we get to 'the other side'. This is adventure like we've never known it.

We have four days left to spend in London, with all the usual last minute stuff but this time it all feels a little more organised which is refreshing to say the least.

everything is as it should be

So, I've caved and spent US $20 on some extra storage space from Picassa, which means that I can now upload to Look out London again. Not so crucial for this blog as our time in London draws to an end, but quitting on this site would mean not being able to upload to Nate's site, and it was all getting a bit messy so I've upgraded and now have to wait 24 hours to get my 10 gig extra space. So, be patient, the photos and travel stories will follow, all in due time.

Today's adventures were at the Libyan Embassy where we went to simply pick up our visas which as you know, had already been approved. When we got there however we had to fill out three lengthy visa application forms (because we were applying for a visa which had already been approved - perfectly logical), submit more passport photos and of course, pay. So, our visas which have been approved are not ready today, but tomorrow, at 3pm where we will line up once again. Something we're going to have to get used to if we're going to and may be the difference between us sinking or swimming in Libya.

at long last!

Finally we have good news. The visas have been approved - all three of them!

We received an email this afternoon. It has certainly put our minds at rest as we had been continually running through possible scenarios in our thoughts and conversations, should we return to London and find ourselves without a visa for Nate. We feel as though we can finally look forward to the future and can't wait to set up home again after being in a temporary frame of mind for so long. We're now sorting out what is required to get us there (visas stamped in passports etc.) and estimate we'll be 'deployed' as they say, by the end of the month!

we made it!

Driving down to Dover, Woz and I could barely believe we'd made it this far! We half expected a call from Libya to say, "the visas are through, come now", but no, we made it Dover without so much as a text or phonecall, boarded the ferry and we were away! It took just over an hour before we reached Calais. Once there we wasted no time in crossing the border to Belgium, staying rural until we found a small town in which to camp and to enjoy dinner. It was like so many beautiful European towns and cities are - complete with picturesque architecture and cobblestoned open squares where the pubs, cafes and restaurants spill out onto the street harnessing an atmosphere unrivalled in any other continent (or so we think!).

The adventure had begun!

replace the rent with the stars above

Today is the last day we will spend in our flat, more specifically, as residents of the UK. Tomorrow morning the removalist will come and take the remainder of our boxes and furniture, leaving us with just our bags. Later that day we'll hand over our keys, taking up another set of keys, belonging to a Land Rover owned by our kind and very generous friends Dom and Chris, who have lent us their car for a month so that we can head towards what is simply known as 'The Continent'. We've packed a tent and sleeping bags and will try our hand at camping again, having not done it for a few years. These days Nate now knows how to free himself from anything with a zip (honestly, we're just days away from him discovering how to pick a lock) so containing him in a tent at night-time may prove to be a considerable challenge ... but a fun one! Can't wait to show him the stars, so often hidden by overcast skies and a burgeoning city.

Relative freedom is so close, yet feels so far away. There's still the last bits to be packed, all the washing to be done, and then there's the cleaning. But we'll get there ...

.... and no, no more news on Nate's visa, and no decision on our behalf as to what to do next, except of course head for the hills!

a spanner in the works

Yesterday we finally received some concrete information about the status of our visas - Woz and I have had ours approved, but Nate has not. Not that his has been declined, but just that Immigration are holding up accompanying children’s visas on the basis that, regardless of the multiple entry 6 month visa for which we have been approved, parents must have permanent resident visas to be able to then sponsor entry of their child. No one has been able to gauge how long this holdup will take to get cleared up so in the meantime HR are encouraging employees to come ahead themselves to start on the project while waiting for the eventual positive disposition of their child’s visa status.

So, we now have a huge amount of scenarios to go through and decide what the best course of action will be. Up until now we've stood our ground and said that Woz wouldn't join them until we were all able to go but this has caused us to reconsider - take a step back and look at the bigger picture. So today we'll make more phone calls and see if we can progress any further with the issue - we want to ensure that we've done everything we can to get Nate's visa approved before we start thinking about whether us being separated for a time will be an option.

In the meantime the obvious solution is for Woz and I to go and live in Libya and for us to ship Nate off to Australia for a few months while we establish residency. I'm guessing there'd be no takers though right?

london still

Another weekend gone and potentially our last in London before we head off for Libya. It's been a productive one too - trips to the dentist, more shopping, more packing, and more goodbyes.

On Saturday night Woz and I walked to meet friends for dinner at St. Katherine's Dock. Along the way we found many gorgeous little pubs and cafes we've somehow missed in the last three and half years. One in particular which was a little cafe with the words carved into it's stone facade, 'Caterer for the progressive working class'. A slice of history so precious and so often missed. Sometimes it seems you need to see your home with the eyes of a traveller to appreciate just how much it offers you.

We've loved London. Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, the Southbank, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, the West End, Brick Lane, Portobello Rd market, the little deli on Lambs Conduit, Coram's Fields, Regents Canal, and then there's the vast array of beautiful parks great and small, stumbling across a street made famous by Monopoly, the crisp chill on a Winters Day, the possibility of snow, dark afternoons where Londoners retreat to their favourite pub or to the comfort of a house heated the way it should be, ice skating at Sommerset House, the knowledge that Paris is only a two hour train ride away, long days in Summer and very early mornings, lush green Summers come rain or shine ... and then there's the people, the variety of British accents and the fun of being able to decipher them all, a gift for wordplay, irony and a nonsensical humour which is second to none and tremendously endearing, and then there's the Antipodeans, a group of people who hold the a common bursting desire to see and experience the world and all it holds, yet still call Australia home - except of course the Kiwis and Saffas, who equally pine for Auckland or Cape Town.

London has been good to us. We've been able to realise a dream of renovating our own place, worked in exciting jobs, had a beautiful little boy, met some incredible people and made some lifelong friends. It will be hard to leave it, but we've done it before and feel all the stronger for it. Walking through the gates at Tullamarine airport one December day years ago continues to be one of the hardest things we've done and was approached with far more apprehension than our next adventure has so far.

So, now the countdown to our European road trip begins, oh, and no ... still no visas!

plan of attack

It's now a week until moving day and Woz and I have been going through some scenarios of late - how long he should work for, where we should move to, what we will do if our visas don't come for a whole month etc. The basic plan has always been to move from here to a local hotel and sit it out, enjoying the freedom of not having a house to clean and spending time enjoying London while we can.

Normally we are very optimistic about London and the weather here, focusing not on the wet, cool days we've experienced the last two Summers, but instead on the long days and lovely light, the abundance of Summer Fairs (rained out as they may be) and the open parks and lush green surrounds in what has the potential to be a very grey and crowded city. This year however we have admitted defeat and come to the realisation that we wont be able to enjoy our last few weeks here tanning in Hyde Park, sitting on a deck chair, but rugged up inside a quaint little English pub at best.

So we're going on a road trip! On Friday we're packing up our flat, moving to a friend's house for the night for one last catch up and maybe a glass of champagne, then leaving the following morning. We plan to hire a car and head for Dover, to catch the ferry to France and beyond! We may only make it to Calais before we get a call to say that our visas have arrived and flights have been booked but it will be fun trying to get as far as we can! We're now hoping the visas hold off not only this week but for at least two weeks to allow us to get one last holiday in before Woz starts up on a huge project which will be very demanding of his time.

zoom zoom zoom

Last night, the very new to London, Gemma and Claire, came over for dinner which was followed up by the complimentary 'London tour' Woz bestows on all our guests. The 'London Tour' comprises of a high speed jaunt around the city on the back of a red Ducati (the colour is very important - they go faster you know), giving the pillion a chance to take in the sights of all of London's beautiful and iconic buildings lit up in the night sky.

We played a tag team, with Gemma going first, then Claire. The girls then gave Woz and I the first hour alone we've had in about six months as I set off on the back of the bike. There's such a freedom in being able to jump on a bike and just go, particularly when you live in a city where public transport is the norm. Jumping on the tube and going all the way to Uxbridge, Watford or Cockfosters just isn't the same.

As you will know, Woz has sold his motorbike and will hand it over to the new buyer this Friday. Last night may have been our last ride for a very long time as we wont buy a bike in Libya. Not too sure the combination of sand and Italian design will be a match made in heaven.

sill no visas ...

and eight days and counting until we have to move out of the flat. Nothing like living on the edge.

almost there

Today is moving day, well half of it anyway. Woz and I have been busily boxing up our things and have collected 7 large cardboard boxes to take to Libya, and about the same in plastic tubs to go into storage. In our small flat, with no rooms to shut things away, we've started to go a little crazy living amongst the boxes, so today we are having a removalist come and collect everything for us and put it all in storage. Most of it will stay there until the day we fly out. To think that all we came over with was two bags and one tub.

As for 'the day we fly out', we still have no idea when that is, but we do have some dates to work with. On the 22nd we will move out of our flat. Once we received our contract a month or so ago we gave notice both at work and to our landlord. The 22nd is earlier than our contract states but lucky for us our landlord, who is rumoured to be in jail, will be back in town and needs a roof over his head. Not so good for society perhaps, but for us it allows us to get out early with no penalty. If our visas don't arrive by then we will be homeless, but we are confident they will come within a few days of that time, giving us time to get out of the flat, clean it and then pack what is left of our bags so that we can stay in a hotel somewhere for a few days.

Woz finishes up at work this Friday, all though this week is a little all over the place for him, with him having to go in to work at 11 pm then 4 am last night, and again tonight. It will potentially be a very long week for him, so it's likely he will spread it out and run it into next week, possibly staying on until we have a definite flight booked, just to be safe.

A few weeks ago when people found out that we were leaving, there was a queue of Ducati enthusiasts lining up to buy Woz's bike. On a first come first served basis, Woz sold his bike to a friend of ours. The friend viewed the bike on a Thursday evening, got back to us on Sunday morning to confirm he wanted the bike, and within 5 hours Woz had had an accident. A car turning into a side street didn't look to see that Woz was there and in turning, crushed Woz's foot between the bike and the car leaving it very bruised and with ligaments damaged. The bike too was damaged and so we're now in the process of obtaining quotes to have the repair done - thankfully our friend has not been deterred and has been very understanding, agreeing to wait while we sort out the insurance.

getting that little bit closer

Things are definitely moving along in leaps and bounds now. We've finally had some information on why our visas have taken so long. It seems that everything has to be translated into Arabic. We knew that our passports needed to be done but also all the documents we sent over to the States have needed to be translated too. So, now that they have finally been translated and forwarded to the Libyan Embassy, the visas could be coming any day - so they say.

Woz now has only two more weeks of work, finishing up on the 15th of August, although he has an agreement with them to stay on as long as he wants after that date should our plans to move be delayed any further. We're not sure they will be though as the new company have already given Woz a start date of the 16th of August, in order to send him a laptop from the States. There are a significant amount of things that would need to happen to get us there by then ... visas approved, flights booked, us packed and moved out of the flat ... needless to say we don't think that date will actually come to fruition but wouldn't be surprised if we were there by late August.

We've started boxing up our bits and pieces, which is a much more challenging feat than simply moving home as we have had to pack all our goods in specifically sized boxes and also comply with the weight restrictions. This has led to packing and repacking of boxes in order to squeeze as much as we can into each box. The challenges of packing are also intensified with Nate around. This morning I started boxing up some of Nate's toys while I distracted him with a DVD. Unfortunately he overhead me and came over to join me. With each toy I put in the box, another was pulled out tearfully, by little hands!

new toy

After months of not having a computer Woz and I have finally bought a new laptop and we're in love! It's so good to have speedy wireless internet, not to mention a place to finally download all our videos and photos. We're way behind on posting videos we've taken in the last 6 months or more but hope to upload some soon. Perhaps when the move is out of the way?! Then again it might give us something to do while we're waiting for our visas.

i can see clearly now

We had our induction conference call on Friday and it went really well. They answered loads of our questions regarding the set-up of the company, working conditions and the living conditions. What we have decided to undertake seems a lot clearer now and we are better informed.

The call was conducted with two further expats, one in Canada and another in the UK who are also waiting on their visas! The English expat will be taking his wife and child over so we're keen to talk with him before we go and have exchanged details. He's travelled to Libya three times now and will head up the security in Tripoli so we have so many questions for him. The fact that he is directly related to security, has travelled there before and experienced it first hand, and is willing to take his wife and child, is of great comfort to Woz (and to me of course!).

We did ask him about the safety in Tripoli and he said that we would be more likely to die of boredom than through terrorist activity as there really isn't anything to do. Alcohol is officially banned and there aren't any clubs or pubs to speak of. Not being the clubbing types we're not too concerned about having quiet nights in but will have to look into what options there are on the weekend. He also said that we would find it very difficult to buy any English literature so to take plenty of books to read. Licence to buy books! I love it!

in days gone by

Over the history of this blog I have made a conscious decision to make all posts observational and to steer clear of local or international politics or religious issues. Of course I hold opinions relating to religious and political issues, in many ways they shape who I am and affect the way I view the world, but I write on behalf of not just myself but Woz, and now Nate too. On top of that it has not been my intention that this blog be used as a soapbox, but as a way for our family and friends to keep up with our day to day life and to feel some inclusion in it.

But now, with the impending move to Libya taking centre stage it seems that avoiding politics is impossible, particularly as our friends and family voice their concern for our welfare given the country we have chosen to live in.

The number one question people ask us when we tell them of our move to Libya is 'Is it safe?' and I have to admit, that was my first question too (right after 'Are you serious?!'). We've been talking about Libya for about 3 or 4 months now and during that time we have researched the political situation in Libya, (therefore our own personal safety), as heavily as we've been able to. There's not a great deal on the internet and not too many people have actually travelled or lived there that we have come in contact with. The Lonely Planet guide has really been our greatest resource as it seems to present a frank view of the history of Libya without sensationalising it. We all know, Libya has had a colourful history but it does seem that it is well behind them with Tripoli taking many steps to disassociate itself from its terrorist past and the US lifting its sanctions and restoring full diplomatic relations with Libya as a result.

I hope in the future to continue to write about our time in Tripoli in the same manner as I have in London, reserving political issues for private conversation and merely commenting on our day to day life. Time will tell whether that is possible.

you've no idea how long I've wanted to write about this ...

So, I'm about to rock your world a little here, and I'll cut to the chase because I hate suspense. I can barely write it let alone you read it. So, here goes ... Woz and I are moving to Libya.

Yes. Libya.

Had you asked me ten years ago, five, or one even, in fact, let's say 4 months ago ... "How do you fancy a stint in Libya?", I can safely say that my answer would have been a resolute, "Not at all".

The job offer comes from a client Woz worked with in the past, who has since gone on to head up the project in Libya. Woz and he had kept in contact so when Woz casually mentioned to him that he was going to look around to see what other projects were out there, he was offered a job on the spot, however, unlike the other positions we'd looked at, it wasn't in London, but Libya. What followed was months of emails and verbal conversations with staff members in Libya, Boston, Dallas, LA and now, finally, a contract.

Although it's been a long process, and I've been dying to record some of it in writing, we were reticent to announce it to the world on our blog just in case a work colleague read it. Stranger things have happened. But this afternoon, Woz broke the news to his boss and formally resigned from work.

So, now, with the freedom to write I barely know what to say. From the moment Woz was offered a position, he has never questioned going. I however, have been on the proverbial seesaw, one minute excited by the adventure and opportunity, and the other frightened by the unknown. For this reason, Woz left the decision entirely with me and so over the last few months I have been weighing up the options, thinking through the impact of my decision on Woz, Nate, myself and our families in Australia, who have been understandably concerned over this new possibility.

I concluded this; I am a wife, who wants the best for her husband, and who would find it very difficult to deny him such a career opportunity, I am a mother who wants to give her son stability, but opportunity at the same time, I am a daughter, who wants her parents (all four of them) to forgive her for such a decision, and deep down, amongst the fear of the unknown, I am a woman who wants to explore and know every inch of this awesome globe and it's people.

So, moving to Libya we are, and it could be in as little as one month. After an induction conference call we will sign the contract this week which means that we have agreed to be there in 30 days, however as we're waiting on a visa, this time could be extended. Now that we're able to blog we'll keep you all posted on the process, each and every exciting and terrifying detail.

'Look out Libya', it has a certain ring to it don't you think?