BE KIND

today on the metro austin & i met an american couple who have been living here since 2007. they overheard us talking & asked us where we were from. it was amazing, having a full on conversation with another couple, that we met randomly, in english. they gave us so much advice, so many tips, told us what dr. to go to, gave us their number incase we need anything, told us where to eat.. it was really so great. when we were getting off the metro & were saying our goodbyes the woman said: "if you ever need anything, or are having any trouble, call us. or if you just are lonely & want a mom figure, call me. i'm always around." that was truly the kindest thing i could have heard at that exact moment. it was as if she knew exactly what i needed to hear. 

this move has given us a ton of opportunities that we probably wouldn't be having if we had chosen a different school, & one of those opportunities are all the different people we are meeting through austin's school. we get to meet so many people from all over the world, with different backgrounds, different languages, whole different lives. & now we're here, together! most of the students are in similar situations as we are, living in a foreign place with no friends or family nearby. but they have created an instant support system with weekly lunch dates & playgroups, people constantly inviting everyone to different activities around the city. to put it simply, everyone cares about the other. it's amazing. 

meeting people is hard for me, i tend to by on the shyer side of things, so it's difficult for me to put myself out there, but being here i've had to. i've had to be a little braver & reach out to all these people that i've never met, but they have been so kind & so inviting. i'm building relationships with these other people who most likely feel the same way as i do. i've always kind of gravitated to people that are similar to me, that i have hobbies or interests in common with. people that i have easy common ground to talk about things with. here it's completely different. we come from different cultures & different lives, we don't connect in the same way i maybe would with someone if i were in the states, but we connect through our experience that we are sharing, through finding similarities in our different cultures & learning about them, but i think the biggest connection is through kindness. each of these people are so kind & welcoming. they want to have a friend just as badly as we do, & it's hard to remember that. it's hard to remember that we aren't the only ones that are in this foreign place, that we're not alone. 

4 comments

  1. so amazing! even though we are only living foreign in Canada (haha!) it's still so different living in a different country that is seemingly all the same, but isn't. I've been so thankful for people who have helped and supported us thus far. Love hearing about your time in spain. Such a cool adventure!

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    1. after living here i'm pretty sure living in any different country is a whole new experience in itself, but it is a great adventure! it's so great to find a support system, i'm glad that you have!

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  2. this was so well written...good job! you're having such an amazing experience...you're so lucky to be able to do this...and i'm proud of you that you're jumping in and meeting so many people!

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  3. this made me smile and get glassy eyes. Love you

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