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23 Aug 2004 @ 02:50, by Brian Outten
This is a brief account of events over the past few years!
Following my wife's problems with Psoriasis, we decided to move to Mallorca (spanish Balaeric Island) in April 2002.
Jacked in the job and took youngest 3 with us.
Found a town house in a village in a mountainous village valley called Esporles.
Shipped everything out, were left to sort evrything out for 4 months before I was to begin work.
Started job, found most the children delightful but parents and other teachers were another matter!
After discovering after some time that if you are different or upset the apple cart in any way whatsoever, you are ostracised in ever so subtle ways by the cliche two faced majority! This frankly got on my nerves, because as my children were no angels they, being students at the same small private school that I was teaching were not fairly treated. (Island mentality!?)
I got fed up with the sense of isolation and that you have to know the language well enough in order to really make progress, which I hadn't succeedeed in doing.
Well, just as we broke for the summer holidays, we had word of real problems back at our house in London, I wont go into details, but the cost was going to come to about $25,000, which as the wages in Mallorca are about 35% of what they are in London we were forced to return and deal with the problems ourselves.
We came back to London, where I got a job straight away (teaching at Tony Blair's son's school) then got another perm job 2 weeks later, where I am still working.
I am really happy at my new school and love many of the people that I work with. The children are from deprived arrears and we have 60 % ethnic minorities, which is not uncommon for certain suburbs in London.
Family is a different story, wife (yvonne) is incredibly removed from my way of thinking and I realised fully that I was living a superficial yet functional existance, with thankless and selfish step children (15 & 20, the 17 yr old is still in Mallorca, but returning next week!).
My own blood son, Tim, who's 11, was being put down alot by the others and tended to divert his attention by immersing himself in computer games to be amused.
Since separating 1 month ago, his behaviour, attitude and state of mind have improved significantly, due mainly to the fact that there is little if no fighting, cursing and he is getting a lot more attention.
He loves his new role, being the older cousin next door to his 4 younger cousins and he acts now as their minder!
Im writing this in Australia, where he is spending quality time with his 2 new found cousins (2 lads of the same age) and his having a ball.
I do hope that I am doing the right thing (I believe so) but as any of you will know, to split from a loved (albeit past love) one is not easy and the future I feel is, although precarious, bright and exciting.
Hope now to really make a difference to local community and green part politics as well as getting fitter.
Only time will tell!
Cheers
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Category: Articles
8 comments
23 Aug 2004 @ 06:07 by : wow...
been through it, eh, m8? oz has got to be better than london! well, it is! my own op of course. cheers and maybe do a walkabout through dreamtime and let all the past really go. good luck to you and please keep us posted. you sound delightfully morose. KIDDING!
you did know that robert graves lived on majorca, yes? they have quite a nasty little adder there so gladness says you did'nt get bitten whilst there. two friends of mine live there, too, bruce and alice. one a painter (alice) and the other a wanderer (bruce.) heh heh tata bri
23 Aug 2004 @ 10:49 by : Cheers Vaxen
Lovely.
Mind you you got to hand it to the Australian wildlife, the most beautiful and lethal blend.
Awesome.
23 Aug 2004 @ 12:50 by : Problems !!
"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." ~ Fr. Alfred DSouza
Life always brings problems - we really cant live without them - although sometimes we'd really much rather try to.*smile*
Sometimes it helps to shift our perspectives - we can stop trying to avoid the problems or we can stop feeling victimized by whats happening.
If we look at problems from another point of view we can consciously work with the challenge of the moment and try to learn more about ourselves and the world.
Making this shift in attitude isn't the easiest thing in the wrold to do - but when we mangage it we discover ourselves to be strong and powerful.
Best of luck to you Bri !
23 Aug 2004 @ 15:19 by : Thanks
Advice is always appreciated, yeh I tend to agree with you.
Luck is what I need plus the insight.
Wisdom to see where I need to go is my aim.
with gratitude, Bri,
23 Aug 2004 @ 16:46 by swan : It sounds to me that you followed
your heart all through this process and the heart is the best guide. Thank you for sharing your story Brian, if you have been in Oz as my friend Vaxen says above, then maybe you are now on the yellow brick road to something better.
24 Aug 2004 @ 08:04 by : Cheers Swan
Your a true brick (as we say).
Stay cool.
30 Sep 2004 @ 09:54 by :
30 Sep 2004 @ 09:56 by : Sounds like you did the right thing
I wish you the very best. These kinds of decisions are never easy. But I am glad that your son is doing better. Love to you,
Kay
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