We are flying back to the homeland today! I’m excited because the uppity of the silly season and all of the family festivities that await give me something grand to look forward to. This Christmas inertia flies in at a perfect time, because I might otherwise feel miserable that this journey is coming to an end.

To be honest, it’s a soft landing… we are still mooching around for a month on the East Coast with friends and family before we head back to Darwin in January. We will still be living out of our bulging suitcase and Finn will still only know his travel cot as his home. But once we step up to that customs desk, the great unknown will be closing down for the vagabonds. At least for the meantime.

The Philippines has been our final destination. It’s been a month of mostly work for Witty, and for me, the place has given me time to transition toward home. In between the high-rises of Cebu and Manila, there has been beach, and it was beautiful. There have been sweet explorations, delightful sunsets and a few surprises here and there. We even got a yaya for part of the time, which is Tagalog for nanny. It meant that I could have someone with me instead of Witty for that time, and of course, find time to catch up and transfer the rambling thoughts from my mind to my blog. In fact, that’s how I’m finding time now!

Beautiful yaya Ruby in Boracay

Blissful afternoons

Gorgeous yaya Mia in Manila

Everybody jump!

The highlights of the Philippines are not so much the beaches we blissed out on but the people we met. We made friends with cool Kiwis, (one who shared the same birthday as me) and we celebrated like rockstars. We scooted around Boracay with a wild Scottish pair and lived it up in our resort pool after hours most nights.

Team kiwi! A cool mob from Sydney.

Jade and uncle Aaron from Glasgow

Meeting Witty’s staff was also very special. For one, they know how to sing! And they showed us their talents on a night of Karaoke christmas partying. For a team who work remotely from one another, they are a very tight crew and they make serious efforts to support each other in lots of ways. I saw that a lot in this country- people don’t work just to improve their own lives. Life and the quality of it is guided by the network of people they have around them. Family is everything so how they support that family (emotionally and financially) dictates their overall happiness. They are a hard working nation (which we see all over the world) and when they actually get to be home, they love the closeness of their community.

Remote Workmate’s Christmas party

Rollin’ with the team

Now I’m looking forward to returning to my community. After almost a year of listening to many accents and languages, Finn will soon be surrounded by people who sound like his parents. That will be unique. And since he’s now on the cusp of forming words from his many beautiful sounds, I’m sure a month on the East Coast will guarantee we hear that delightful Queensland twang come through. Finn Atlas, the Aussie?

Beaches, summer, family, Christmas. Have a happy one, my friends.