My Ex-pat Dilemma: Friends

Travelling and living abroad has endless ups. New countries to explore, new places to find, new food to try, new people to get to know, new thoughts to have. BUT, it also has its drawbacks. When away from home there are some things which will be missed, and cannot be easily replaced. Some things last only for a little while - a mirage - and then the reality sets in.

The truth is, I miss my friends. We have now been apart for 4 years. Small visits within that time bring comfort back, but after the week, after the plane ride home, its gone. I think I have taken those friendships for granted. I assumed they would be easy to come by. Wonderful people like them can be found anywhere right? I was wrong.

Of course I have created relationships; colleagues and acquaintances, friends and foes. But nothing compares to that of real friends. Nothing comes close.

I feel comfortable being alone. Me and my thoughts, my meditation and projects. But sometimes, you just need it. You just need a friend to pop over, to watch a movie, to cheer you up, to take you shopping, to go for a run, to go for a drive, to cook dinner, to reminisce...

To be fair, this is the first time in four years that it has hit me this hard. I have met wonderful people, but I am sadly still not satisfied. I am not greedy. I am not selfish. I just miss my friends. That group of girls who will do something with you because you want to, not because they want to. Those girls who are up for a laugh and some fun any time, and if they aren't can be easily persuaded. Those girls who can read your mind. Unfortunately oceans have separated those minds and the girls do not know. It's too far away. I'm too far away. I'm too far away for them to know.

They can't be replicated and can't be replaced. They're one of a kind. Really. Years of getting-to-know-you are precious. Those awkward teenage years would bond anyone. Now, in a different phase, out of partying and into partners, weddings and babies, it's still the same. But it's different. I am out here and they are still there.

Perhaps it's time to bridge that gap.