I miss you already

Dear Family & Friends,

I miss you already, and I haven't even left yet.

With love,
Meredith
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Today a good friend of mine called me as I was driving home from work, and one of the first questions she had for me was, "What am I going to do when you move to Brazil?". My response, of course, was, "oh, don't worry, you can call me anyway. I'll have a U.S. number over there". And becuse she's a good friend, who lived in Europe for years, I trust that we will maintain our friendship despite the distance.

We will be getting an international phone plan that allows us to have a U.S. phone number while in Brazil. Because my family lives in upstate New York, we'll get an area code that matches theirs so they can call us in Brazil as if they were calling a neighbor down the street. We'll also need to increase the frequency that we Skype (which is already a decent amount seeing as that we're all in the U.S. still). I'm even looking forward to reverting back to sending snail mail. I mean, who doesn't like to receive letters and cards? I sure do, and my friend Kim is wonderful at this. I love it. I always get excited over the holidays because I know that an Easter, Thanksgiving, and/or Christmas card is in the mail.

Thinking of all of this, and after another talk with another good friend this evening, I got to thinking about how much I'll miss my family (of course!) and the friends that I see and/or talk to on a regular basis. I don't feel like I take any of them for granted, especially with our impending departure, but still... I like knowing that my friend Heather is going to call me when she has a bad day at work and needs someone to talk to. I look forward to my talks and walks with Caridad and her daughter about our futures, families, and the best ways to save money. You know, it's the simple things with people that you care about that you miss when you leave.

I always feel guilty when my friends tell me that they're going to miss me. My family doesn't say much about missing us yet because they know that it's hard enough and at the same time, this is something that I really want. I love to travel and live abroad, and I've wanted to teach English (again) in Latin America for, well, years. I'm thrilled that my family is so supportive of us as we move back to Brazil, even though it will be difficult for them, too. I know that not every expat, or want-to-be expat, has the same support system that I have. And for that, I am grateful. I know that my family loves us and wants what's best for us. We also know that they want to see us at least once a year. We want the same.

To my family and friends in the U.S., thank you for your love and support. I miss you already and love you very much. E and I are truly  blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.