Moving back home after a long period of time away is always a hard thing for anyone to experience, but how does it feel moving back to Twickenham after seven years living in Dubai? A 16 year old girl, who now goes to Esher College, has settled seamlessly back into life in the area, but it was not always easy.
To a certain extent, moving back was hard because she was unsure what to expect after having been away for so long. Only equipped with memories from primary school, she did not feel entirely prepared for what she would experience at college. The idea of moving back home was not new, as along with her Mum and brother she had been waiting for the day when her Dad said that they could move back. This meant that they were very much ready to come back to Twickenham after seven years. It was also hard, not because she felt that she would miss living in Dubai, but because she did not know what it would be like to live in Twickenham again after so long because the two places are so different.
Living in Dubai, she had particularly missed the community life in Twickenham. There were also a whole range of things she had missed, from old friends to simply being able to go to the park. Even rain, something the English are not exactly thankful for, was welcomed by her because it is obviously a rarity in the desert. However, what she has embraced the most about living in Twickenham again and had not realised was so forthcoming, is the independence a teenager can have living in a place like it. In Dubai, she says she felt sheltered as an adolescent, and learning skills such as street wise behaviour were not necessarily of much importance. This meant that to come back to England and to suddenly have that feeling of freedom was definitely something she felt ready for.
To her, the things she loves the most about living in Twickenham again are being able to cycle, watching the rugby without feeling homesick (even going to a few games!) and the rain – something she had grown to miss. Above all, going to college and meeting so many new people has been what she has enjoyed the most since moving back.
