A Letter to All Expats
It’s officially the 1st Friday of 2017! Woohoo!
With holiday shopping, busy work hours, and a crashing MacBook (I bought myself a shiny new laptop for Christmas, yay!), I really failed miserably posting at the end of 2016. Like, really failed. Like, I haven’t posted since late October. Whoops!
But I got to go home for the holidays and it was absolutely amazing! I didn’t get to go home last Christmas, and that was my first Christmas ever away from my family. Although I spent Christmas in London that year with friends and had a blast, in all the fun I was having I still couldn’t help thinking about how much I missed being home for the holidays.
Well, this year, I DID get to go home and it was everything I wanted and more! Even though it was a hot Christmas and New Year in Louisiana (no shock there), it was full of family time, dogs, catching up with friends, INCREDIBLE food, and an amazing trip to New Orleans!
Although I absolutely love living in Dublin, I felt myself getting sad that I had to go back after my visit home came to an end. Which is weird, because I used to dream of getting the hell out of Louisiana!
But being an expat, it’s SO easy to get homesick. Even though I’m having the absolute time of my life, I still find myself yearning for home sometimes. I really miss certain aspects from home – my family, my friends, my dog, my room, the simplicity, the amazing food – and it’s always hard to leave those things after a visit home.
Not all expats were lucky enough to go home for the holidays this year. I know there were many of you who didn’t get to be with your family on Christmas Day. And I know how hard that was. Being an expat is an amazing learning and growing experience, but it’s natural to be homesick, no matter how much fun you’re having.
As I’m fresh off the plane from Louisiana, I share many of the homesick feelings a lot of expats feel over the holidays – either from not being able to go home and missing it, or going home and realizing how much you missed it and having to leave.
I’m with you. We’re all in this together. But come on guys – we expats are amazing. I mean, we moved to another country for crying out loud! Of course it can get hard sometimes but we’re brave! We’re adventurous! That’s why we’re here!
At the beginning of last year, one of my good friends wrote me a letter and put it in an envelope that read “Open ONLY when you’re having a bad day.” It took me a while to get around to open that letter, because I wasn’t having any bad days. Life was good. I was in Dublin, living it up! But eventually, those homesick feelings that creep up periodically came back, and it was time to open the letter. It rang so true for me, and will ring true for anyone living far away from family.
I’m sorry you’re not having a good day. If you’re homesick, we love you. If it’s work problems, fuck ’em. If your studly boyfriend isn’t treating you right, go make out with his hot friend.
You’re amazing. Honestly, you’ve turned your life into something worth living – never forget who got you there. Y.O.U. You took a risk, and you’re rocking it. You’re a kick-ass friend, a bold, brilliant woman, & someone I’m proud to call my friend. Remember, we’re only ever a plane ride away.
There’s nothing you can’t handle or figure out – you’ve proven that. Only a few people have the balls to do what you’ve done, don’t forget that. Don’t let whatever is causing your bad day to break you. Be strong, because you are.
I love you, friend. Drink your worries away, get some takeaway, and get back to being the bright, lovely, charming betch you are meant to be. See you soon.
I figured those words could help anyone who’s feeling a little lonely right now. They certainly helped me.
If you ever feel lonely or homesick, just remember what you’re doing. You are living, breathing, walking, traveling, seeing, experiencing, touching, learning, and immersing yourself in an entirely different place than what you were surrounded by for most of your life. Do you know how ballsy that is? I mean come on. This expat life is a sometimes scary ride, but an exhilarating one.
