We have a destination — and it’s a good one. After weeks of job applications, research rabbit holes, and the kind of late night conversations that only happen when you’re making a decision this big — we’re moving to Athens, Greece. And we are genuinely, properly excited.
Athens. The Acropolis. The food. The warmth. The sea not far away. A city with thousands of years of history and, as we’re quickly discovering, an incredibly welcoming expat community. There are moments in this process where everything feels hard and uncertain — and then there are moments like this one, where you look at each other and think: yes. This is going to be wonderful.
And there’s more good news — my husband and I have both secured teaching positions at an international school in Athens. The children will be attending the same school. Which means that on the very first day, in a brand new city, in a brand new country, they’ll walk through the gate knowing that mum and dad are somewhere in the building. As far as soft landings go, we’ll take it.
We told the kids on a Tuesday evening, after dinner, when the dishes were still on the table and Patrick was doing his usual post-dinner patrol of the dining room floor. We pulled up a map. We said the word Athens. And then we waited.
“There was a pause — and then the questions came flooding in, fast and excited.”
Our two are old enough to understand exactly what moving means. They’ve done it before. They know the drill: new school, new friends, new everything. And while there are nerves — because of course there are — the overriding feeling in our house right now is one of anticipation. We’ve been looking at photos of Athens together, watching YouTube videos of the city, already debating which neighbourhood we want to explore first.
The questions came quickly, and they were almost entirely about school and friends — which is entirely fair. The school question, at least, we could answer straight away — international school, English curriculum, and yes, mum and dad will be teaching there too. That last part landed differently depending on which child you asked. One thought it was brilliant. The other had significant reservations about the concept of seeing their parents in a professional context. We’re calling that a normal and healthy response.
“What I told them: making friends takes longer than you want it to and faster than you think. Both of those things are true at the same time.”
The honest parenting truth is that you can’t promise your children they’ll love their new school immediately, or that they’ll find their people in the first week. What you can do is be honest about that, stay excited alongside them, and make sure every feeling they have about it is allowed — the nerves as much as the excitement.
Right now the excitement is winning. Athens is waiting. And the Gamble family — Patrick included — is ready for it.
Next up I’ll be writing about the job hunting process — what it actually looks like to apply for teaching roles internationally, what worked, and what the process of landing positions at the same school looked like for two people applying together. If you’re a teaching couple considering a move abroad, that one’s for you.
— Marie 🙂
Worth the Gamble 