He says... Every journey begins with a single step.

A well-worn proverb says that every journey begins with a single step. For us there have been several hops, skips and jumps en route to our next adventure.

Our journey began with a week in New Zealand. We celebrated 'Christmas in November' with her immediate family and several aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces. It was a joyous week of family, friends and great food although the pork accompanied by cabbage and polenta may have been a bridge too far for some of us?

In between all the people and celebrations, the introvert inside of me (and her) has had very little time to reflect on the past three years in Australia and the journey that lies ahead of us. Packing up our flat, finishing up my job and saying good-bye to family, friends and colleagues has been harder than I thought. This has been a year of incredible change in my life and there is a part of me that is still struggling to catch up. I had become very comfortable in my (then our) lifestyle in Melbourne and it has been more difficult this time to step outside my comfort zone and accept this new challenge.

We find ourselves geographically dislocated in a quaint little village in the middle of the lowlands.The days are short, the skies are grey and the weather is icy cold. She has already shared the details of our daily routine so I need not repeat them. I feel like we are neither here nor there. A certain sort of purgatory that has no definite end. I don't particularly like it.

Despite a bumpy start with our new employer, the work has started well. I have spent the past two weeks in endless meetings, learning about the organisation and having people tell me what they think I should be focusing on when we arrive in our new home. Thankfully my role reports directly to the CEO, which means I am free to take on or ignore most of their advice.

Not speaking Dutch means I am a little on the outer in the office. All official business is conducted in English but all the little conversations on the side, the ones that matter, are done in Dutch. It is frustrating, but I am doing my best to bring some humor to the office...

Writing this blog I am aware that this present dislocation I/we am/are experiencing is more than just coincidence. The saying goes that if you want to understand someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Whilst I will hopefully never have to fully walk in the shoes of the communities that my organisation partners with, it is a timely reminder of what it is to be displaced from our home. The difference is that we have chosen this dislocation, whilst for many people around the world (estimated to be 27 million at the end of 2009) they are forced into this same dislocation due to ongoing conflict, political instability and in some cases natural disasters. For many of them, the choice of going home is not an option. Their life is where they find themselves. This is something I am learning to accept.

These are the first baby steps of the long journey ahead. As much as I am looking forward to stepping into warmer and sunnier climes, I am also learning to take each day one step at a time. We are looking forward to Christmas with friends in Luxembourg and then a short break in Brussels.We are fortunate and happy to be here, but I can't help but look forward to what lies ahead...