Pros and Cons

I need advice.

Jeremy and I are facing a decision that we have been trying to sort out for a few weeks now. Neither of us has been able to come to any conclusion and we have to make some major choices soon.

So I thought it was time to share this with the teeny (but much loved) group of people who read my blog. Since I admire you all so much, I am asking, no wait - begging, for somebody who is not going to be directly effected by this choice to step in and be a voice of reason.

As I've posted before, Jeremy won his appeal and has been granted his working holiday visa. The catch is that he has to return to Canada AGAIN in order to receive it. So we face a dilemma: does he fly back, get his visa, and return here again where we will live and work until the end of next summer? Or does he wait a bit, fly back to Canada, move in with our friend George (who's like family and just got a two-bedroom condo in London, Ontario) and live and work there while waiting for me to move back this summer?

So that's the choices. Live here for another year and a half or just until July.

And here is my Pros and Cons list (feel free to comment with any others that I might have missed):

Pros: Staying in London for 18 More Months
* we would get a chance to travel (since we'd both be working and could finally afford it)
* we'd be able to earn our keep in British pounds so every extra pound saved is worth $2.40 Canadian
* I'm guaranteed to be working often (possibly with the school I'm at now)
* Jeremy might actually get to work in HIS field
* Pub Nights
* Cheap beer
* tons of things to see and do
* we live beside one of the most beautiful parks in the country
* Don't need a car because public transportation (usually) is fantastic
* I'll be able to finally imitate a British accent properly

Cons to Staying for 18 More Months
* This city is ridiculously expensive and we might not actually save any money at all
* Homesickness, missing holidays, birthdays, and my nephews growing up
* The flats here are SO small
* Missing out on potential jobs in Canada because I'm here
* commuting for an hour every day sucks
* having to deal with annoying tourists
* No hockey for AGES
* No BBQ, no Wendy's, no dill pickles, no Jalapeno Cheedar Doritos, no East Side Marios or Casey's, no extra huge servings at restaurants that means a yummy lunch the next day
* the only places I'd be able to go swimming are at least 2 hrs by (train or plane) away


Pros to Moving Back to Canada (to London, Ontario) in July
* We'd have a place to stay pretty much rent-free for several months
* That place comes equipped with en-suite laundry, a pool, a hot tub, and a sauna
* We'd be back home with friends and family
* I wouldn't be homesick anymore
* Being in a place that doesn't involve battling 7 million other people to get to work every day
* it's GREEN in Canada and I'm just a drive away from our cottage
* We'd get to have all of the yummy foods that we miss
* I'd get to use all the stuff stored under Jeremy's grandparent's place (like my kitchen stuff and the BBQ)
* SPACE!!! Humanely-sized apartments, wide open spaces, lots of trees and fields, and of course, the lakes - reason enough to want to come home.

Cons to Moving Back in July
* I might not have a teaching job to return to (and it's really hard to get one in Canada)
* No car of my own
* possibly myself and Jeremy having to work at call centers again
* Not getting to travel



I know I've repeated myself a dozen times but I really don't feel like going through and editing this post - every time I read these lists I get more confused.

So there it is - let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance.