London preparations (and the lack of them)

As I knew it would all along, two weeks in London feels now like a surreal dream, except exceptionally hectic and exceptionally necessary. Two weeks of hellos and hugs, coffees and goodbyes laced with cider and whisky. Two weeks in which I was so preoccupied with what and who I was leaving, that thoughts of distant islands, vast oceans and life as a research economist (?!) were impossible. Only when my bags were packed did the reality of leaving actually strike me, and sitting waiting for take-off at Heathrow airport, clasping the 2004 annual report of my future employers (Central Bank of Solomon Islands or CBSI), I couldn’t help but feel somewhat under-prepared for the magnitude of this venture. Then again, just such a lack of expectation is often the best way to arrive in a completely new world…