"On 30 October last year we left Houston. The plan was to live in Scotland for a while, and then hopefully get the opportunity to try out another country in the future.
In a week and a half, on 2 January 2012, we are moving back to Texas, on a long-term basis.
It is difficult to explain what happened in our heads between these two dates, but one thing is for sure: we really liked our life in Houston and we want it back.
Do not get me wrong, Scotland is an extraordinary place, with landscapes beyond belief, magnificent winter light and a capital city which has to be one of the most attractive places in the world. It is also very cold, very expensive, and a terribly depressing place on a dark winter day. There was no summer this year, and most weekends seemed to be too rainy/cold/snowy (delete as appropriate) to be able to do anything. So yes, the Houston sunny skies appealed. A lot.
Then there were many other factors at play, amongst which the education of our daughter, the general quality of life, the international communities, opportunities at work, the price of real estate, etc... Oh, and the fact that we simply, really, like America. Maybe it is as simple as that. Living in a place you like and is good for you.
Of course it will be very hard for our families; we understand completely that they will miss us a lot. But we have decided to open a new chapter, live our lives the best we can, build something that belongs to us. We can only hope that they, along with our friends, will support us. The big long roads of Texas beckon, the big long road of our life awaits, come along for the ride."
Maylis
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"So here starts Texas take 2. After just over one year of interlude, where we did a lot of soul searching on what we wanted from where we chose to live, this is where we've decided we'd like to settle for the foreseeable future.
Edinburgh is a special city, but our views and perceptions changed while we were away. We changed - we went back as 3 instead of 2 for a start. Things that didn't bother us before now did - difficult parking, damp cold weather, grey landscapes and expensive living space amongst them.
And then the question of if not Edinburgh, then where? Stay in the UK? Try somewhere new? Where? Far East? Australia? At the end of the day, Houston seemed to come out on top. Sure, there will be things that annoy - having to drive everywhere, oppressive summers, superficiality, poor TV. But on balance it's somewhere we know we can settle that will provide a good quality of life. And it seems right to find somewhere like that to settle now. I realised just recently that in the 20 years since I moved away from my parents, I've lived at 15 different addresses.
So now back to Houston. Somehow it seems like we never even left."
Hugh
