It's been a crazy week. I wish there were more poetic or exciting ways of describing it, but let me just tell you, when you're moving abroad, you have to make a decision. You can choose to get frazzled by the things that make your trip seem as if it's falling apart and won't happen, or you embrace them as part of a bigger story to tell about the crazy things that happen when you try to apply to move to another country. I've probably done a bit of both this week. My poor parents have gone through the ringer with me the past few days as the roller coaster ride of "Will she or won't she make her flight?" kept us all enthralled and busy calling the U.S. Embassy, my Chinese visa agent, and FedEx on repeat. Moving abroad is not for the faint of heart (something I'm repeatedly reminded of) and things WILL go wrong. The lesson I'm walking away with is that things will work out eventually, possibly in your favor or perhaps not, and you really don't have much control over it. I've been lucky this week. The cards were in my favor in more ways than one, and yesterday, 18 hours before I was supposed to board a plane in Orlando, my Visa arrived overnight from Washington DC. (I could have hugged the FedEx guy.) Yesterday was jam packed with last minute shopping, packing (and repacking) and tying up all the loose ends that needed to be dealt with before jetting off today. We left my parents home at 3:30 this morning for the airport. I was wired from too much caffeine the night before, so sleep has continued to evade me. I slept little on the first flight from Orlando to San Francisco, so I'm hoping I will sleep well on the flight to Hangzhou. We jetted off to the airport, and again, things worked out in our favor on what was an incredibly hectic morning at the terminal. Now if all of my luggage arrives in one piece, I will be a happy girl! I assured several of you that I would share my China address here for those who were interested in it. All mail is going through my school. Please send me letters! ;) Michelle Dierker c/o Hangzhou International School No. 78 Dongxin Street Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 310053 This girl's off! Wish me luck, friends! When I have internet access and a good VPN, I'll be sure to post more updates! Until then, Farewell :) (Did you know that if you pay the curbside service guy $20 bucks and you're traveling internationally alone, they'll get a massive cart for you, cut you to the front of a monstrous line, and check you in themselves? Best money I've spent all day!)
5 Comments
"You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, and your stomach; because you do not just live in a world, but a world lives in you." -Frederick Buechner
Whenever a season of goodbyes comes along, I make my way back to this quote by Frederick Buechner. I've always been one to wander, to explore, to learn about myself by learning more about others, and to openly seek out places that will challenge me to grow into this woman that I'm becoming. It's not always easy. I tend to paint life with a rose colored brush at times, always finding the beauty in the newness of the places I go and the people I meet. It's a trait that I've (painstakingly) grown to love about myself. There is a trade off though. Because in order to arrive, you have to leave. Arriving is the easy part. It's the anticipation, the new exchanges with colleagues and future friends, the planning and decorating that goes into recreating a new space into a home. It's the travel plans, the feeling of having the world at your fingertips, and of recreating yourself in different seasons of your life. There is an excitement for what is to come. What you leave behind is familiarity. The routines of a life you've fallen into line with, the habits you've grown accustomed to, and the people who, for a little while, were yours to keep. Things you can part with, sell, store, or leave behind. It's the people you carry with you. I have a terribly memory. It's a joke of sorts among close friends, because they are constantly having to remind me of events that have taken place in years past. However, it amazes me that regardless of what the distance might be or how far removed I might feel from the people I care about most- they are always just a blink away. One blink away, and I am back in the safe, solid arms of my Grams, snuggling on her couch, eating graham crackers with milk, and laughing until my sides hurt. One blink away, and I'm on a front porch swing, soaking in the quiet early mornings alone before campers and counselors will arise and the quiet acreage that I find sanctity in, is alive with love and laughter. One blink away, and I'm in a twin bed, tangled in a web of 3 little bodies, getting ready for bed time stories, staying just long enough to see their long eyelashes close and quiet mumbles turn into long sleeping sighs. One blink away, and I'm on the back patio of my alma mater's Student Union, surrounded by a group of friends that I would spend the next four years learning, laughing, and growing beside. One blink away, and I'm in a small sanctuary on a tiny island: listening to the hymns of praise surrounding me, kissing a hundred sweaty cheeks in morning greetings, and playing with crawling babies between church pews. One blink away, and I'm walking the hallways of a school where I have experienced the most growth in my adult life. Laughter echoes its way from one room to the next. It is a place I have laughed, questioned, cried, and learned to believe in the strength of who I am. One blink away, and I am back in the arms of my people: the ones who are always in my corner, who love enough to let go, who treasure seasons, yet trust the future, and who have given deeply of themselves to me. I could blink my way into a hundred faces: my parents, my dear aunts, my mentors, cousins, friends who have always been nothing but family, and loved ones who were mine to keep for just a scrape in time. The ache of missing never goes away. Some might find this kind of life daunting, painstaking, or not worth the loss and change in relationships. Sometimes I wonder if the wanderlust inside me will ever quiet, allowing me to settle. Other times, I am reminded that to wander is to learn, to live, to give yourself gifts you might otherwise miss, and to keep your mind aware of just how small you are in this great big world. Whatever the case, may it be well known to you dear friends: I love you I love you I love you The Most. |
AuthorMichelle is an expat and globetrotter, currently residing in Augsburg, Germany. Originally from the US, she has called Guam, China, and Germany home. Her passions include collecting children's picture books, reading, writing, traveling, and trying to remove coffee stains from freshly cleaned shirts. Archives
February 2022
Categories |