So why a blog? Why now?

As I write, in July 2020, everything has changed. And the change was quick. For 12 years Sussex had been my home; first Brighton, then the Ashdown Forest. It was comfortable, familiar, homely even. Dividing my time between Sussex and Liverpool had done no favours for my regional identity: friends in the south would mercilessly mock my northern-isms (the cruellest of them used to accuse me of being from the Midlands, they know who they are) whilst any conversation with a Scouser would gather momentum towards the inevitable “you’re not from round here, are you?” Despite my status as a north-south divide nomad, life was good.

Then I made a decision.

For anyone that knows me at all, this decision will have seemed peculiar at best. For Richard Coppack was many things, but a traveller was not one of them. So many of my friends are windswept, interesting globetrotters. They are well-travelled. This is not me. Nearly 4 decades of life (repeat, nearly) has barely seen me venture outside the EU. As a student I had no time or inclination for GAP years. In my 20s I wanted a career. I also developed a love of skiing that took care of many an annual holiday budget. And all the time the world was still out there, a place that others visited, a place that I might see one day. But not now.

So when, back in April, I accepted a teaching job in Abu Dhabi, those who know me would have been forgiven for being somewhat taken aback. And rightly so. I am not just visiting a far off land (3500 miles is quite far) I am staying there to work. For a minimum of 2 years. In at the deep end would be putting it mildly. The deep end would be more like the shallow end, then with an extra end that’s even deeper. I think.

Anyway, it seems to me that if you get thrown into the (extra) deep end, you have no choice but to swim. But what can be done to make this metaphorical feat of watersport heroics more achievable? It seems to me that one way would be to connect with everyone back in the UK. This would be cathartic and rewarding for me, and hopefully not so excruciatingly boring for you that you have already sacked it off to check BBC news or track your latest Amazon order. So what follows is something for everyone (I hope).