So the last time I wrote on this blog, Leo and I were eating... I mean traveling our way through Italy & Spain. It's hard to believe that was almost 7 months ago. How in the world has my life changed so much since then? So in April, we followed through on our cross-it-off the bucket list move to Ecuador. Hey, if you can't do it when you're 26 years old, when are you gonna do it, right? That being said, moving for the first time ever out of the town where you've grown up and being away from your family is NOT easy, no matter how much of an adventure it is.
But yes we really did it, and here we are. We packed up six suitcases & our two dogs & flew Philly to Miami, Miami to Guayaquil. Adjusting to life in South America takes time and learning how to relax and just go with the flow is actually much harder than you'd think. Once the dust settled and we got ourselves unpacked, Leo started working for his Dad and I found a job. For the first time in my life I'm teaching English as a second language in a K-12 school. So not only did I find myself adjusting to a new country, but also to a totally new work environment. As much as I appreciate having a job and the independence that comes with it, it's made me realize just how much I loved the job I had to leave behind.
Guayaquil is a city of contradictions: modern, yet pretty ass-backwards (pardon my french), laid back but frenzied, family-oriented but isolating all at the same time. The beauty of being on the outside looking in is that you can appreciate all of the craziness, because you are just here observing, you don't have to stay forever.
Being abroad is both exhilarating and exhausting. You'll find the hardest part comes when you miss big events that happen at home (I know, who thought that life would keep on going without you, right? But it does). The day my niece was born was both the happiest and the saddest day I've had so far in my now 27 years. "How did I let myself miss something that important?", I asked myself. While I still don't have the answer to that question, all of the sadness got wiped away when I flew home 4 weeks later and held her in my arms. And to hear her cooing over the phone puts a smile on my face that lasts well until the next day.
What a unique and beautiful experience we are having, my husband and I, getting to know each other all over again, as if we just met. As we adapt and grow, so does our relationship although there are definite growing pains that go along with that. But one thing that's certain, when we're sitting in our rocking chairs when we're eighty we'll never look back and wonder, "What if..."
