Fear of Commitment?

I was sitting at Lyall Bay this morning thinking about the last 4 months while watching surfers do their thing on the 6-8 foot swells that are fairly typical when the Southerly winds kick into high gear and it got me thinking.

Commitment has been something I've avoided like the black plague throughout our immigration. I didn't want to ship all our stuff over so that we could have a simple backout plan if things went pear shaped. I don't have a cell phone because I don't want to be tied into a contract should we decide to leave. I was against buying new furniture at first for much the same reasons.... the list goes on and on.

Yet, 4 months and 3 weeks in, I've been changing my tune significantly. I'm sure Carly landing a 1 year contract has something to do with it, but it's more than that. I've got a good group of friends, very active hobbies and I feel at home in the city.

April 1st is an important date for us. My contract with my current employer ends leaving me unemployed but with some money in pocket. Our lease is up right before then. Been friends with a financial planner / mortgage broker, I've gotten a good understanding of what the local market is doing right now and for the first time I'm seriously considering the biggest of long term commitments to a country.

Part of it has to do with the cost of renting here and the size of our apartment. Part of it was the enjoyment I got out of home ownership (the ability to tinker, to improve etc) and having my own space. But deeper than that, I feel like there's definitely a future here for us.

Now granted, like I was told over the weekend when talking to a fellow immigrant, I'm still well into the "Honeymoon" phase of my immigration. Depending on how the job hunt goes, things may change...