Aside from deciding to form a Mutual Admiration Society because we both thought we're about 7 years younger than we actually are, it was nice to get out and meet a new expat and talk about our experiences. Most of my expat conversations are with folks who arrived at the same time as me with my old employer, so I find that our experiences are somewhat homogenious; it was nice to chat with someone else and get a completely different perspective. But, it was all a bit odd: Since I read her blog, I felt like I knew her better than if she were a total stranger and we were meeting for the first time-but that's exactly what we were. I'm sure she must have felt the same. Either way, it was nice to finally put a voice to the words. Hopefully, once she's settled in to her new flat, we'll be able to get together again.
On reflection, I found that my conversation with her about getting settled in-and all the trials that go along with that-brought me back to my own experiences, and I couldn't help but feel a bit stressed! That seems to happen whenever I talk to anyone about 'just arriving', read a blogs about someone's first few months here, or even go back and re-read my old posts. Yeesh. But, on the flip side, it makes me appreciate how much easier life is now-and just how settled I do feel here now.
It was a lovely lunch. Hope my tales of woe didn't stress you out too much. Definitely getting together soon. It was fun! And I know what you mean about thinking you know someone but realizing that the blog and the person are different yet the same.
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