For the last week, we have had the marvellous fortune of having a good friend from Nashville visit with us, sharing home and hearth and experiencing all the sights and flavors of Thessaloniki. Being an expat, one gets accustomed to not seeing old friends on a daily basis, although they are never far from our thoughts and the friendship remains as dear, if not more so, than ever. New friends are enjoyable but just don't compare to folks from home with years of remembrances of good times and bad.
With departing comes a quiet melancholy, buoyed by talk of future visits and the knowledge that other friends will come and go. It is a reminder of how much we give up as expatriates, but it also reinforces how much we've gained. Thankfully, the connection that ties us to our abandoned home remains intact, if a bit taut.
1 comment:
That bittersweet feeling of having visitors from home and then having them leave is like nothing else.
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