Time doesn't stand still - we do!
I left New Zealand mid 2000 and have visited here on average every 15 months. Sometimes the gap was less, sometimes a wee bit more but never as long as this last period.
Because I came back at regular intervals it was easy to pick up where I left off, some people actually not realizing I'd been, gone and back again.
It was also handy as I would see with my own eyes the changes around towns and places I'd visit. Road works, housing appearing, shops changing hands. Not only that. I would also be more in tune where my grandchildren were at in their development. Having been away almost 3+1/2 years ( May 2019) has certainly affected my feeling of connection, of being 'in the loop' with the changes. I have stood still while time just kept on ticking.
Now I am not that naive to think everything would still be how I left it. That the children have grown, some into young adults, is a normal and natural progression. Still what did change was the connection I had with them. The very young ones didn't have a treasure chest filled with lots of memories, as some were too young to recall some of our escapades and fun moments. Others have moved on - to almost university level schooling so are busy with study, friends and sports. And that is a good thing - it just does have bearing on the relationships. Some have more time now to spend with me, their oma, and others don't. So a shift in focus and activities is order of the day. Re-acquainting ourselves with each personality, personal like and activity and finding out what is important in their lives which wasn't relevant before. All the while trying to be the oma befitting each child. A challenge and a wonderful one at that. All things being equal I won't have another LONG break from my family in the future. Eventually I know the visits will cease. I am not the youngest anymore and eventually the length of the trip will be too much of a challenge so I will make the most of every opportunity I get ( make happen) to be part of the families' lives as often as possible.
The country too has changed. Not just the addition or should I say improvement on the roads. New motorways connecting cities. Huge shopping complexes to cope with the increase in size of the cities and modernization in many parts of the inner city to keep up with the ever changing world. Globally of course awareness for our planet plays a role here too. The pace of life in New Zealand is faster now than when I left. It almost matches that of the place I now call home in the Netherlands. No it's not Amsterdam, but the volume traffic, high rise buildings and housing projects, it would seem New Zealand is swelling in population faster than I imagined it would. What did astound me, was this beautiful green and vast country isn't making use of the area but cramming as many home units on a small piece of land. Family home sized sections seem to be a thing of the past. Cramming 4 homes where there was once one home seems illogical to me. Why is 'spreading out' not the norm? Why push people onto each other's boundaries when we know and have known for many years, that space, individuality and privacy are a necessary component of well being. That's what attracted my father and many immigrants in the first place. New Zealand's open spaces. There is plenty of land.... it is just not being used to live on.
Anyway, that were some of the noticeable things that changed in the interim while I wasn't able to visit.
NOW is here and HERE to enjoy. And hopefully I'll be staying more often again in the future.
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