Prepping for Departure

Okay, it's still more than 10 days away, but as I looked at the array of skin care, hair care and tooth care products scattered across the vanity in my bathroom, I couldn't help but wonder where these things will go in London where there is no vanity in the bathroom, merely a small sink--for both of us.

That is the trade-off to getting to live in a city as exciting as London. You get the theater, the museums, the history, the shopping (if you can afford it!), but then you also deal with the tiny washing machine and the clothes dryer in the kitchen. Slogging through the rain and trying to figure out where you put your bikes when there is no garage. The lack of ice and the absence of a garbage disposal. Still, I think getting to hit the West End on any given night makes up for much of the lack of convenience.

Actually, the hardest thing to give up will be being Anne Russ. In Germany, I was either Rob's wife or Maddie's mom. Nobody ever asked me what I did. They wanted to know what company my husband was with and what grade my child was in. Rob's wife is a lousy house keeper who can't seem to master the German language and is prone to hysterical outburts. Maddie's mom is a slightly resentful chauffeur who doesn't like large groups of small children and who never did get the hang of playground politics. But Anne Russ is a favorite at Camp Ferncliff and a preacher who receives rave reviews. She is humorous writer and a gifted song leader. She has a house where people enjoy congregating. She is someone whose opinion people actually seek out. I do hope I can maintain a little more of my Anne-ness in London than I did in Germany.