Not quite home yet...

The best part about being back? Getting to hang out with my tía, grandma and uncle

We've been in the USA for over a month now. This moving-back-expat-starting-over thing isn't as easy as we thought it would be. Mami is having "reverse culture shock" and I haven't been able to have much time to myself because of my demanding schedule.

I'm being serious. It's hard work when everyone wants to see you, here's what I mean...

The first few weeks were amazing! We were the coolest people in town. Everyone wanted to see us, talk to us. After all, we hadn't been back to visit in two years.

I took full advantage of mami and papi's welcome back celebrations. I went to bed super late, mami and papi let me do what I wanted (they were very happy too!) I slept in a little tent my tío Tomás gave me, I had family members I didn't know existed come over to see me,  lots of new toys and gifts, then Halloween came around and just a thousand new things going on at once.

To be honest, it was sooo much fun!

Then after a few weeks we packed up and went to stay with my grandma and grandpa in Williamsburg, Virginia. Instead of relaxing, the action started all over again. There was a new house to play in, a new dog, new aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then came Thanksgiving (my first one) and it was like a circus! I even watched American football for the first time and became a Green Bay Packers fan. There were so many people everywhere, and I was never alone. Phewwww!

You have to understand that in London it was just me, mami and papi ALL OF THE TIME. No one else really came to see us and much less LIVE with us.

I think even mami and papi have come down from all of the excitement because I heard her say to papi "I just want to go home. Any home that is ours".

I thought, "But where is home?"

I realised we are definitely NOT going back to London, NOT going back to our flat, NOT going back to my old room, NOT going to see my friends. And it made me sad. Sad because I just want us to go back to how we were, all living together in one place. Don't get me wrong, living with my tía Denise and my Omama has it's advantages, but you need your space.

But being here also means I get to do things I wouldn't normally get to do, like paint with my tía Denise, go out to dinner with my grandma or hang out with my uncle Brad. So it's all worth it in the end, we just have to be patient (not something mami is good at).

Now mami and papi are in the process of buying a car. Can you believe that?! Our very OWN car! Woooo hooo! I'm a city boy and I've only ever been on the tube and buses so this is going to be a whole new adventure for me. We've been using my Omama's car and so far, I love it and who knew mami could drive? I always discover something new about her.

So you see, we may be back "home", but we don't feel at home. We have a long ways to go for that. For now, mami is just enjoying her "extended holiday", meeting up with old friends and making new blogging friends. She's even launching a new blog in Spanish. Good luck mami! Just remember, blogging may look easy, but it's a lot of hard work. I've been doing this for almost two years.

We'll keep you posted on our settling in. For now, we are getting ready for Christmas and preparing for a whole new year!

Have you recently moved to another country or city? Or have you moved back to where you were from originally? How was it for you?

P.S. In case you were wondering, I am still waiting for my toys and bed to arrive. I wish they would hurry up!

They took EVERYTHING!

You already know that we are moving to Washington DC.

But after all the talk I started noticing that things began to change. I mean, all sorts of strange things were happening.

Everyday something else was taken away from me.

Let me explain:

1. I caught mami putting some of my toys into bin bags and saying they were "rubbish" or that they would be "given away". I REALLY didn't like that very much. As a matter of fact, I panicked. I mean, that's my stuff!

2. Last week, our upstairs neighbours came over and things from our rooms including our fan. I cried and tried to grab hold of it... "MY FAAAAAAAAN!" I yelled out. I didn't want them to take it. I was mine and papi's. I had helped him put it together. Mami explained we would get another one called "air conditioning".

3. The next day after my fan was taken from me, I was right in the middle of my favourite Peppa Pig episode when there was a knock at the door. Four men came in with big boxes and started putting ALL OF OUR STUFF IN THEM!

My table isn't there anymore

4. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING, including MY BED! I really got scared and called mami, and said, "Mami, bed gone. No sleeping" and I just cried again. As mami was holding me,  I looked around my room, and it was completely empty. I jumped up and ran around calling out for my  things. But they were nowhere to be found. I mean, I've got nothing! I have been sleeping on a little mattress on the floor and it's just not the same.

5. I also noticed they took the letters that were on the wall above my bed. I said to mami "ABC all gone" and she looked up and said "Si, Little M, we packed those away". Mami said the letters spelled my name, so I do hope to see those again. The empty white walls are scary at night and I always ask papi to leave the hall light on for me.

6. On Saturday ALL of our friends came over. I thought it was my birthday, but I know that is not until later. Everyone kept saying "we are going to miss you" and when they left they had tears in their eyes and they kept kissing me and hugging mami. I'm staring to wonder, just how far is Washington DC?

Now I am sitting in an empty flat with only a few small toys and books with me. I really miss my bed and everything is bare. It doesn't feel very nice and I really miss the feeling cosy.

Tonight when mami said it was dinner time, I ran straight to the corner where my table used to be, but then I stopped , looked around and realised there was nothing there.

I turned around and said "table all gone papi". And I slowly walked over to the sofa where mami said I could eat and together we watched In the Night Garden. She kissed my head and said "it will be okay mi amor, soon we will have a new home".

I have been feeling very sad these past few days but being close to mami always makes me feel at home. Even if there is nothing around us.

How would you feel if everyday something else of yours was taken away?

Anything but my toys!

No mami, please! Don't take my toys!

When this moving and packing business began it was just your stuff and papi's stuff. I didn't think I was involved in this 'clearing out' thing you have going.

Oh sorry. For those of you reading let me explain. We've been packing and throwing things away and getting ready to move out of our home and go to the United States.

Yesterday mami made me take a nap in her bed. I thought that was a little bit suspicious because I never sleep in her bed.

I should have known something was up.

When I woke up from my nap, I found mami IN MY ROOM, with BIN BAGS and lots and lots of piles of my clothes and....my TOYS!

There they were. All in black bags.

I went over and saw my teddy, and my soft baby toys, and my blocks and wait...even my tool box! HANG ON ONE MINUTE! I thought my things were being shipped too?

So I started taking things out and putting them on my bed, under my bed. Anywhere safe from mami's grasp. I was grabbing what I could and scooping them up quickly before they were taken away again.

I had to save my toys because I knew where they were going....to the 'charity shop' next to the Starbucks. I know, because I helped mami take her stuff the day before.

Papi came in and said we were going out. And because I never turn down a chance to go to the playground I went with him.

So mami, I am watching you and I am keeping an eye on those bags.

Por favor, take anything but my toys!

Goodbye London. We love you forever

We are going from one capital city to another...Washington DC here we come!

After six years in the UK for mami and papi, they have decided to move to Washington, DC in the United States. I say 'they' because I didn't have any say in this. After all, I am a London boy! I don't know any other place and frankly, I love it here.

But...my abuelita and tata live there, my uncles, aunties and my grandma and grandpa. Oh and Duke (he's my tio's dog - I always get to see him on Skype).

Mami wants to be closer to her mami and says she is tired of being so lonely.

However, this move isn't without it's dramatic moments. Ohhhhh no.

There was a period of a few weeks when mami panicked and said  "What are we doing?! We have nothing there! Our home is here, our friends our here. We can't go!"

Do not remove (c) Mummy's Busy World

And so the flat hunting began and they dragged me all over West London looking for a new flat. Papi would say, "If we find the perfect one, that would help us decide to stay. Why did we want to leave again?!"

But nothing was good enough for them. Finally after seeing a dozen or so flats, mami just looked over at papi with a straight face and said "It's done. Let's just go as we planned". And that was that. The moving preparations continued as before.

Then mami turned on the water works. And she says I'm a cry baby?! Please!

She cried for most of that afternoon. Walked around sniffling and wiping her eyes. She scared me at first and I went to give her a hug and I held her tight.
She looked at me and said  "We are moving to Washington DC Little M. ¿Vamos?"
I said, "No mami" and she and papi laughed. But I was busy building a castle with my blocks, so it wasn't a good time to ask me anyway.

But now she is looking more happy! And also going crazy cleaning out the closets, throwing things away, going through my baby clothes and trying to decide "what goes and what stays". I'm just hoping I see all of my toys again.

There is a lot more to say about London, after all, mami and papi did lots of things before I came along, but maybe mami can give you the grown up version someday.

For now, I leave you with a little letter I have written to the city I call home.

Dear London, 

This has not been easy to write. Not sure where to begin. You are my home. I have not lived anywhere but here and I have a feeling there is no other place like you.

You were tough on mami at first. She had a hard time, but guess what? Now she doesn't want to go!

She says she will always be a Londoner (me and papi too). According to papi these were the best six years of his life.

Oh and mami says no matter what, she will always be a "mummy" and not a "mommy"and she may even continue to say "rubbish" and "trainers".

There are lots of things we will miss, even if you do get very crowded at times and the tube isn't running. But you are truly magical and we will come back to visit soon.

Now we are going somewhere new and starting all over again but we are going to take pieces of you with us. Mami says she is an "Honorary Brit". I say let her have the title, okay?

I know there will be more tears, but I hope she is brave. I will make sure to take lots of tissues for the airplane.

And as for me, I love London the most because this is where mami became my mami.

London we love you. Forever.

Little M, mami and papi