Goodbye to the best

There is a distinct difference between travelling in foreign country and actually residing there. A vacation is a short sojourn away from your 'normal' life; a chance to experience new things, sample all the best food, see the sites, relax on a beach. And then you head home, back to a routine, your job (hopefully) and your family and friends.

When you pack your bags and move to another country, especially one that is completely different to where you come from, you leave all that behind. And you hope to make wonderful friends, because they become your family, when you are thousands of miles from home. You cry and laugh, drink too much, eat far too much, go on weekends away, explore the country...together.

When living in a country like South Korea, where it is hard to find many, if any, similarities with your home country, you create your own language of Korean/English slang (Konglish), you recreate Easter and Christmas to immense proportions, you get excited about a bottle of crappy apple cider in the supermarket or a schnitzel at a restaurant...together. 

For those of us fortunate enough to get to live in foreign countries in Africa, Asia or South America, where there is an abundance of different cultures, languages and opportunities; it is an experience we cannot easily explain to those at home. And so it is our friends, who are with us and who we see all the time, who we share it all with; the 'homesickness', the frustration, the cultural differences, the fun. 

When you travel, you meet people from all over the world. If you are teaching English in Asia, you make friends with other teachers and students; Scots, English, Irish, Australians, Kiwis, Americans, Canadians, Russians, Iranians, South Africans, Nigerians, French. But for most of us, the time comes to leave wherever we are and return home. That's the hardest part about travel; saying goodbye to your friends, your overseas family.

The world may be a small place but it is also extremely big. And sadly, you never know if you'll see some of your new family again. Fortunately, happy memories are easily remembered.

To all the wonderful friends I have made during my travels, I miss you!!