So it's somewhat fitting that this blog is being revived upon the imminent end of our Seattle adventure. As I write this, 75% of Team Firehouse (including currently-in-production Baby Firehouse #2) have already landed safely in Sydney, despite the best efforts of United Airlines. I'll be joining them shortly, at which point our US adventure officially draws to a close.
And what an adventure it's been. The past few weeks have been happy/sad indeed, as we've had to say goodbye to our new friends who have become very dear to us, as well as the Pacific Northwest in general, which turned out to be quite the place for us to base ourselves in for our time here in America. I'm saying goodbye to Microsoft, to take up a position with Atlassian, and that's been an incredibly difficult decision as well. We've got a lot to look forward to as we recommence our lives in Sydney - but it's been unexpectedly difficult to say goodbye to everything and everyone in Seattle.
More than happy/sad though, I look back at the past three years, and the dominant feeling is that of gratitude. If nothing else, the following will serve as a documented record of everything we took out of our experience here, in case the kids (!) ever ask why we decided to pick up and move halfway across the world on a whim. In no particular order, I'm grateful for:
- The people who've become such important parts of our lives. At work, outside work, in the Sri Lankan community, serendipitous meetings, we have friends who we've become incredibly close to, and who have enriched our lives in so many ways. It's hard to say goodbye, but if nothing else, it's a reason to come back and visit the Pacific Northwest. You all know who you are (if indeed you ever read this), so thank you for everything you've done for our little family, to make Seattle feel like home. We expect to see you in Sydney before too long!
- The opportunity to push ourselves. I mean - what were we thinking? Picking up and randomly moving halfway across the world, not knowing anyone at our destination? Crazy huh. But - a perfect opportunity to test ourselves in a new country, new environment, and test all the stereotypes we had about the US. And, with a Mr C to boot - I'd argue that he's as well-adjusted as a two-year old toddler can be, even accounting for tantrums and all. It gives us the confidence that we can muddle through number 2, since we had to muddle through number 1 while still developing our nascent support network at the time. It's taught us a lot about ourselves, things we may not have learnt had we stayed back in Sydney
- My career. Hindsight is perfect, and I had three choices at the time I accepted the offer from Microsoft - Microsoft, continue with IBM, or strike it out on my own. I made the right choice, and lucked out in such a major way - I couldn't have asked for a better team, or a better set of people to work with here at Microsoft, with the support structures to help me grow and develop as fast I could. Really, they took a massive punt on me, and if not for that gamble, I wouldn't have been exposed to all the things that are good, and bad, at Microsoft, and a major part of my education would have remained incomplete. I wouldn't have known it either. I fully realise how lucky I was, just as I'm fully aware of the sacrifices Mrs Firehouse had to make for that to happen
- The Seahawks. Sounds stupid I know, but American football is the first football-style code I've actually fallen in love with. Growing up with rugby league, rugby union, soccer (football) and Australian football all competing for mindshare and fanbase, I never really connected with any of them or their teams (save the Sydney Swans on occasion). Maybe it was a market oversaturation issue. But then I come here, and discover the Seahawks... and now Mrs Firehouse has to deal with me being reduced to a weekly, useless mess as the Seahawks battle their Sunday opponent. Probably helps thats that they hit such a rich vein of form in the period I was here :) nonetheless, I'm taking the Seahawks back with me, whether they like it or not. It looks like I can get the games streamed into Sydney, which means I'll be useless during Monday mornings, where my new work colleagues can deal with my fretting over yet another third and long
- Perspective. Even if the rest of the list isn't ordered, this is still the most important one for me. We'd travelled to various places around the world before, but only ever lived in Sydney, and have always held the viewpoint that Sydney is the best place in the world to live - without having ever lived anywhere else as a reference point. The last three years have given us that basis for comparison, to more critically evaluate Sydney as a place to live. There are definitely things that you just won't get in Sydney, due to its relative lack of market size (I'm going to miss Amazon Prime!), and a lot of the cool new innovations in the tech world seem to originate from the US West Coast, before *eventually* making its way Down Under. But - we don't have to have discussions about gun control. Or healthcare and insurance (not in the same way at least). Or the parlous state of the education system in the US. These are all things that are incredibly important to us, and having experienced a different version of it in Seattle, we'd pick Sydney and Australia every time. (Although I'm still gobsmacked that SCOTUS turned out to be more progressive than the Australian parliament...)
It's not to say that it's been easy - there have been challenging times, like setting up in a new country, figuring out how everything works, *and* preparing to be first-time parents, all at once. I'm not going to pretend that that was a walk in the park. But, all things considered, I wouldn't have traded the last three years for anything.
It's been a blast, Seattle - you'll always have a very special place in our hearts. But, we're coming home!
