Friday, Dec. 03, 2021 - 10:54 pm.
Well! I finish this week smiling because I had big things coming my way and everything went well:
Monday: Got our new couch! We bought the old one in a rush and on a budget when we got back from the UK over two years ago. It was painfully uncomfortable, I even got a back injury from laying on it that still bothers me from time to time. It was all we could afford then.
Our new couch is bigger but most importantly, super comfortable. I feel this is a couch for grown-ups, which we are now, thank you. I can even picture our kid sitting on it, because it does look like it's made for a tiny child to sit in the middle with their tiny legs dangling from the cushions.
Oh, speaking of kid, we're finally meeting with the adoption psychologist next week to get her assessment report. Two fucking months later than promised, Jesus. She still has to meet with the social worker and they both have to make the decision whether we're fit to adopt a child (it appears we are). Two years. It's been two years in this process and we're not even in the adoption system yet.
Anyway.
Wednesday: Andrew and I flew to "the capital" so I could visit the embassy of my home country to deliver some documents. Literally. That took 10 minutes. Most of our day from 6 am to 9 pm was spent waiting between airports, planes and taxis while covering about 1700 kms in all that time.
Nevertheless, Andrew and I were happy to be out and about. All that waiting was tiresome and stressful, and I got a taste of the disaster that my traveling home will be in a few weeks, but we got to eat sushi and we did a bit of shopping (mostly me, getting gifts for my siblings). We also had a coffee before our flight back home that cheered us up. It allowed us to feel alive for the last leg of our day trip.
The paperwork I did at the embassy, I'm happy to report, went well. This was a requirement to get the retirement money I saved when I worked back home, between 2009 and 2011 (just a couple of years ago, right?). I didn't make much but it's mine, and my life is here now.
Friday, today: I PASSED THE DRIVER'S TEST!!! I failed the first test due to small mistakes that were avoidable. I got the same evaluator as the first time, a nice man really, and I casually threw in our small talk that I already had a license from my country.
He must've noticed I wasn't so bad the first time around, and so as I drove, we got to talking. It turns out his dad lives in Newcastle, and I told him I'd lived in Sheffield, so we got to talk about the UK and his family, and the driving test went by quickly. I made a few mistakes during our conversation but it all went well.
FUCK YES I HAVE MY LICENSE HERE. I'm so happy. Now Andrew and I can rent a car and go places.
I'm feeling great. Last night I had a breakdown because I had so many tiny tasks and I was overwhelmed by feeling stuck, always in waiting, always having to do something that is just one step in a long process.
Andrew heard me crying, closed my laptop and took me to bed to hold me while I rage-cried. We get to see the sunset from our bedroom window (one of the perks of living in this apartment, despite being in front of a loud avenue), so I cried in his arms as I saw the sky change colours, and that was beautiful and it was soothing. Bless his heart forever, he knows how to take care of me.
Lastly, at work, the most immediate victory is that my two undergrad students submitted their thesis and (a) they thank my master's students for their support, which just filled my heart with a warm feeling because I feel I did something good by bringing them together, (b) the thesis is good, so much better than expected. So I'm proud of my students, and also of myself.
I have lots of things to look forward to in my job. Sometimes I miss Sheffield so much that I start crying, honestly, but then I remember myself that there I felt I had no place to make a difference. And at least I'm making a difference (or feel like I am) here. I still ache for Sheffield though.
This is all for today. I feel it has been a while since I wrote an entry with joy. May the good streak continue.