Around 7 months ago I had to ask myself, why would I book a flight to somewhere 6,316 miles away, from home, to a place I’ve only seen on a map, a place I can’t even speak the language?

If I could go back and reply to my past self while I puzzled over the idea, this would be the answer to my question.

For the view.

For the friendships.

For the family.

For the cute

…and the not so cute.

For the young.

For the old.

For the conversation.

To learn something new.

To wait my turn.

The home improvements.

The gardening.

To get my hands dirty.

For the happy times

…and the sad.

For the alone time

…and the “you will never be alone” time.

For the “mum doesn’t have to go through this on her own” time.