My sister has just returned to the US after living abroad since October of 2022. After graduating from Belmont University with her bachelor’s in social work, she wanted to take some time off instead of beginning her master’s right away. For the past 7 months, she has been an au pair for a family in Italy, and then did some solo traveling through Portugal.

First, I am sorry to our mom and dad for both of your kids moving across the world around the same time LOL. I cannot imagine how difficult that is as a parent…I hope it brings you both comfort that Grace and I have seen each other much more than ever before. She came to Belgium three times, I went to Italy once, and we met in France for a weekend. I was especially grateful to be able to visit where she was working and living, which was a small village in the mountains of Trento, Italy. I was able to see what her daily life consisted of and meet the family she was working for.

Second, something that was really special for me was that I helped her pack to go to Italy and helped her pack to return back home. (Literally made her try every single thing on in her closet and Ben rolled all of her clothes to be able to fit it all in 2 bags). I can confidently say that the same girl who I helped pack up back in October is a different person. Her courage, independence, strength, and adaptability is truly admirable. 

Third, the truth is that living abroad is amazing, but it is full of challenges. You are away from all of your comforts, far from everyone you know, your stability is gone, everybody around you is speaking a different language, the culture is different, the food is unique, etc. You must be able to adapt on the fly, and you are challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. (I plan to elaborate on this in another blog post) I am a big believer that we are exactly where we need to be, all a part of God’s plan. Because Grace and I were both going through similar experiences at the same time, we were able to relate to each other on a level that most people can’t.

All in all, I want to tell my sister that I am so proud of her journey and personal growth.