At the end of September, I moved away from my home of the last 13 months. It was sad to say goodbye to all the friends I'd made there...harder than I had expected. I have so much appreciated their friendship. They were patient with me when I didn't know how to speak the language or how to interact; they made the effort to include me in their activities; they chose to get to know me & invest in our friendship even though they knew I would be moving away before too long.
This was the plan all along, you see. I would come to this city to study the language & culture, and then I would move on to another part of the country where I would do some more learning before moving again to the place I'd be working. This city was just a stepping-stone, in a way, at least that's how it would appear from the outside. But from the inside, once I got connected with people and made close friends, it was home. And it's hard to leave home.
But when I left that home, I returned to my Canadian home for three months. This is where I am now. I made it back a few days before my brother's wedding and will stay until a few days after Christmas, having arranged my three month trip in such a way as to fit in as many key family celebrations as possible. :)
I'm spending these months enjoying my family & friends and sharing stories of life on the other side of the world.
Even though it was hard to leave, it is also good to be back.
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