Despite my rural upbringing for the last few years I have lived in towns. Moving back to a village this Spring has been quite an adjustment... probably made worse by lockdown. Gone are the days of wandering into town and looking around the shops! Gone are the days of walking to bars and pubs; to be honest it has been quite an adjustment.
Lockdown hasn't helped. My usual routine is all over the place and my sleep pattern is out of whack; but I cant help feeling that even if this wasn't happening I would still struggle.
(this is not my village it is one nearby as I don't want to share my location online)
Don't get me wrong I am still a country girl at heart, but going back to driving everywhere and being miles away from everything has been a bit of a challenge. It is also hard to know what to do with my time, trying to answer the age old question of what do people really do in the countryside.
Life if the countryside is so different. I have always felt quite out of place in many urban environments and longed for the days when I can live more rurally again. I think I have slightly idolized life in the country however, forgetting the logistical challenges.
Jobs are also much more difficult to find in the countryside and competition is much higher. Most people still flock to the towns to work and I have heard quite a few people say they actually work in London which is 3 hours away!
Settling in
However, I am making the adjustment again. And if truth be told after 6 months I am loving it. Although you are at the mercy of cars and public transport I have enjoyed not having to deal with a lot of the things I used to have to deal with in a town.
Now, where I live there are limited problems with violent crime or robbery. A big plus considering I probably had an issue with being vandalized, robbed or assaulted about every 6 months before. It has been nice not to worry about drunk people, drugs and grooming gangs; or having to live in cramped conditions because it is all I can afford while working as a manager for 40 hours a week. This has made me feel a little less like a wage slave, trapped in an impossible situation.
Being more rural has also brought back the sense of community, where I now socialise with my nabours and know most of the people on my street by name (partly down to the whats app group). Many of them made a big effort when I moved here to invite me to their BBQs and gatherings which I appreciated.
Although it has been hard feeling separate from 'the big smoke' it is nice being close to the beach, begin able to walk 10 meters from my house and be in a forest with trails and not having to deal with the busyness, noise and traffic of the town. Something else I have noticed is that I feel much more detached from the consumerist system and, as I don't watch TV or read magazines, I don't see any adverting. I also feel like their is more connection to culture; and a strong sense of Britishness I didn't have before. This was illustrated when all my neighbors decorated their houses for VE day, or when they go to church together. It is a long time since I have been in this sort of environment and it feels quite refreshing. So all in all a bit of a mixed bag really!
It has been quite a big change for me, but I feel like I am adjusting to the move. I suspect we won't stay forever but it has been beautifully soothing for the soul while it lasts.
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