Abu Dhabi and Abroad: Coming Home

I have to say, coming home is not so easy for me. While of course I enjoy spending time with family and friends, it is hard to have been gone for so long and then suddenly arrive back to a place that should be familiar but is not. Yes, the people and places at home are indeed familiar, but the everyday lives are not at all. I think I do a good job of keeping up with my friends and family, but to step off a plane and into a city or house that I have not lived in for at least a year is surprisingly foreign. I don't expect everyone's lives to stop because I'm not here, or even for them to pause when I arrive, but I have to be honest and say that it's hard to see how my friends' and family members' lives have continued, and I've missed the past year of it. From birthdays to new relationships, from new jobs to preparing for college, I was not here for these changes and developments. What I also find challenging is that my friends and family were not there when I traveled to Nepal and Uganda, when I visited the Grand Mosque, or when I took up salsa lessons. Yes, I've made new friends doing these things on my own, but I do wish I could share these experiences with people that I've known for years. I know I am blessed to have this blog, Facebook, Skype, etc to keep in touch with friends and family. I am also making sure to spend quality time with friends and family while I am here, but I also thought it necessary to reflect on and provide insight into this side of the "living abroad" coin.

I finally made it to the MLK Memorial. It's not as big as I thought it would be, but it's definitely massive.

I have the best friends ever; Nikki and Julie had Ashley, Kelly, and me over for dinner as soon as I arrived in DC. This was my first taste of pork as soon as I got to the States. There's nothing like real pork pepperoni!