And now we're ready

It's funny looking back at what we expected for our life here in Victoria, when we were moving here. We expected that Chris would have a teaching job right away. We expected that I would be involved in the campus Christian groups in the same way that I was involved in IVCF back home. We expected, essentially, our lives back home, but translated into Victoria.

But that's not what happened when we moved here. Chris didn't get a teaching job. I was so overwhelmed by everything that had happened so quickly (getting married, moving, Mike dying, starting a new program, etc.) that I couldn't really handle meeting too many new people. I met our little church group, and I slowly started to meet people in my program, but that was it. We spent a lot of time at home.

But it was really good for us. Chris and I learned how to become each other's best friends. We also learned how to become really close to people outside of our age group, like the wonderful seniors at our church. We also spent a lot of time growing closer to our family.

The odd thing is that now, out of the blue, things that I expected two years ago are now falling into place. First Chris got that teaching job. I've finally gotten in contact with a friend from home, who has lived here in the city for this whole time and yet I've never gotten things together enough to touch base with her. And then, all of a sudden, I found myself gathering up the courage to walk up to the Navigator's table and introduce myself. And I found myself invited to their grad and alumni monthly potluck dinner, which happened this evening.

Bizarrely, in the past few weeks I've had this same conversation so many times: "No, we aren't new to Victoria. Actually, I'm starting my third year at the University. It's just that [Chris didn't find a teaching job until now/I was too busy to get involved in anything else until now]." We being treated like newcomers in a city where we've lived for more than two years.

And yet there are ways that we are new here. For the first time we're making ourselves at home in this city. We've hung up the hammock chair. We've gotten Chris a job. We're finally in the place to deliberately seek out friends. My head's finally in the place where I'm ready to have a normal life here, and let my heart establish some connections.

And that's indescribably fantastic.