by Writing Like A Renegade

Created on: June 02, 2008

"The Grass is Always Greener"

Have you ever sat in a waiting room filling out one of those forms they hand you at various appointments (you know, the one attached to a clipboard with the pen tied on by a little string) and wondered how basic paperwork can act as a gentle reminder or evil shock about the status of your personal life?

So there you are, going through the long list of detailed questions, as you circle the appropriate answers and tick the right boxes to indicate marital status, income, age, smoker, non-smoker,drinker and of course, how many children you have, if any.

In my case, I am a 31 year old, unmarried female not making alot of money with zero children who drinks and is the occasional smoker. Uh? Really? Oh.

That overall summary lingers in my mind from time to time as I question, what am I doing, where am I going and why? I am at the age where, usually my family, ask me that dreaded one question, 'Oh Karan, when you are going to settle down and start a family?', to which I'm usually left with the very articulate and ever knowing answer of, 'Ummmm?'.

Or then there's this one. My favourite. The long sigh my mother lets out when my eldest brother Sean comes around with his six Huskies, and under her breath you hear 'Oh well I guess I should get used to these dogs being the closest thing to having any grandchildren.'

Cue Karan, as she turns around to roll her eyes and bite her tongue.

I suppose if I had played along with what other people wanted for me in my last relationship, I would now be married living in a subdivision where each house looks exactly the same, with 2.0 children and driving the family status vehicle of choice, 'The Ford Mini-Van'. In a world like many other North American 30-somethings. But instead, I had to go and move to Europe.

Germany to be exact. Yup, that was me last year. The little rebel. The black sheep. Now based in Hamburg, a city I can proudly call my home.

The move here and settling into every day life has come with real adventure, endless stories and experiences full of just enough upheaval to give me a thicker skin, a kick in the ass, real survival skills and the feeling of being really alive.

My old life in Canada vs my new one in Germany - a life in two parts. Just like the Bible. The Old Testament vs The New Testament. (Yes, I just compared the Holy Bible to my little existence on planet earth. Are you there God? It's me again. Please forgive me. Again.)

Just so I don't go straight to hell, let's use another example.

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