Feeling at home

I am enjoying these days in Buenos Aires so much, especially now that my brain has adjusted and things just feel familiar and comfortable. I am watching the World Cup with friends, going to favorite restaurants and cafés, taking walks and talking, and just being around town and feeling at home. The weather, though maybe a bit cool when the sun is down, has been pretty cooperative and I have enjoyed being outside and not sweating. It's awesome to be able to walk places- both in terms of a neighborhood that is walkable and a climate that allows me to walk without freezing or melting.

One of my friends from Bangkok is returning to the US this month after 5 years in Thailand and recently wrote this blog post about how leaving is so much more than people and places, but is the end of an era of life.  I've been thinking about that this week as I've been here, and that mixed in with missing so many people and places here, I also miss who I am when I am among them. I miss the parts of my personality that come out when I speak Spanish or walk these cobbled street or spend time with these friends. That, perhaps, is the hardest part to let go of. And the idea is true no matter where I am, that I miss the parts of me that come out most in the US or Thailand or wherever. It's part, I suppose, of being a third culture adult and learning to adapt to different cultures and communities.  It's a blessing too, to discover these other facets of who we are and to know in very real ways that no matter where we go, God goes with us, that he is the prime constant in all the moving and changing. 

These next few days will be a joy and challenge as I say good bye again to friends here, some of whom are moving this week or in the next year or so, and won't be here if/when I come back. But we say good bye with another set of laughter and memories and days when we were able to just be there. 

Not my best picture, but yes, my best restaurant!