Here We Go Again

In November 2012, an opportunity presented itself to us and we took it. That opportunity was a chance to move to Paris for six months and it was one of the best decisions we've ever made. Six months turned into a year and then it became permanent. Our lives are richer and we are happier because of that opportunity.

When Lori took the full-time position with the Legal Department of Total, the type of contract she signed meant we would be spending a few years in Paris, but we would be moving somewhere else eventually. It would be another country somewhere in the world where Total has operations. We figured that we would be in Paris until 2016 or 2017 and then off to a new location.

Well, another opportunity has presented itself to us and once again we took it. This is a lot sooner than we thought it would happen, but the current economic climate has caused some re-shuffling and re-organizing within the company and a new position was created and they specifically asked Lori to fill it. This means we will be leaving Paris for good on July 1, 2015. While there are many things we are going to miss about Paris, we are ready to move on. It's a wonderful city but we are ready for somewhere new.

Where is this somewhere new you ask? Why it's a tropical paradise. Well it's not a paradise, but it is tropical. We are moving to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. If you're like Lori's dad you're probably wondering "Where the hell is that?" It's an island in the South Pacific Ocean close to Australia. Now you're thinking "Sounds lovely", well not so fast. Port Moresby is ranked as the 3rd Least Livable City in the world. It only ranks ahead of Damascus and Dhaka. "What is so terrible about it" you ask. Crime. Lots of crime. We will be living in a secure building and we will have security driving us everywhere. Let me guess, now you're asking "Why would anybody willingly leave one of the greatest cities in the world and move to a place like that?" I wish I had a better answer for you other than "Because we can."

It's a great opportunity for Lori. She'll be the head of the legal department in the new office that is just opening there. It's a new part of the world for us to explore. Australia, New Zealand and Fiji will be in our backyard. It's a warm, tropical island. We can start sailing and diving again. The main reason we want to go is because it's new and different and we are ready for a new adventure. We tend to get itchy feet when we are in one place too long.

We have spoken to many people who have been there and done tons of research online and it seems like the reputation of the city is worse than it really is. If we do what we are supposed to and stay away from the bad areas of the city, we will have no problems. There is another downside to this position though, we couldn't be farther away from Newfoundland if we tried. The travel time between Port Moresby and St. John's varies between 36 and 48 hours depending on the route. Just think, I used to complain about the 7 hour flight between Paris and Montreal.

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