I miss my family, and the country I call home.
In another life in another time I would have been in South Africa at the moment on my first vacation since moving to the Netherlands. I would have spent time with family and made silly jokes and eaten more meat than in the last six months put together. We would have talked about our worries and celebrated our happy events.
Today also marks 6 months since my arrival here in Amsterdam. When I arrived it was the start of a different season. Trees were decked out in gold and red and scores of tourists were bustling around the city.
I arrived, tired, uncertain of the life that awaits here and forever thankful for my best friend and her sister who met me at the airport to help lug my luggage to the hotel and join me on some preliminary sightseeing to make the best of my first day. I remember where we had the most incredible waffle with ice cream and for a few hours I forgot about the great uncertainty ahead of me.
Little did I know that six months later things might be a bit more familiar but life in general will be even more uncertain than anyone can imagine.
In times like these I try to remember the advice I normally give myself:
The difference between adversity and adventure is attitude – Janet Evanovich
I am not saying that all adventures are fun. I can guarantee that there will be parts that suck. I mean, even good adventures have bad bits. And perhaps this one sucks a bit more than I’m comfortable with, but I honestly hope that we get out of this a bit stronger, and perhaps a bit better.
It’s OK to feel down. It’s OK to be homesick. It’s OK to want to eat more snacks than normal.
For me, personally, it’s about finding a balance between feeling the feelings and not letting it drown me. It is about choosing to get up each morning and making my bed and helping to build the world of tomorrow, however it might look like.
Be kind. Stay safe.
mcharlottesmith 