It’s funny how this post is coming into the world, as I originally intended to write something a bit different. This latest post was going to be about As it so happens, I’ve been cleaning out my emails, and I’ve stumbled across old chats with my parents, friends, and old colleagues. Immediately, I’m taken back to those days of bumbling around as I moved across the world to start a new chapter in my life, so what better motivation could I need to write about this?

Obviously, moving anywhere is going to be difficult, but moving to the capital of the world’s largest country where they have a different alphabet, mentality, and lifestyle? Yeah, things weren’t going to be easy. My first company did a lot to help mitigate the issues that inevitably arise, and looking back at emails from six and a half years ago, I can’t complain. Sure, hindsight means that we were coddled a bit more than was good for us, but I’m glad to have that experience; I’d rather have excess amounts of guidance rather than flounder, like some new teachers in Moscow unfortunately have to deal with. Moreover, it’s both funny and heartwarming to look back and see how concerned my parents were. I mean, they were emailing me nonstop every single week, asking about how I slept, how I was eating, etc.! Now? They email every so often, as they trust me that I’ve got things under control. Pinpointing the moment where they finally were able to have some peace of mind isn’t the easiest, but I’d wager a guess that it took a year or two before they could sleep at night without worrying about me.

Anyways, I just wanted to wrap up this short post by saying over the six plus years I’ve been here, it’s a nostalgic look at the first few weeks of living abroad. It was chaotic without a doubt, but once the dust settled, I realized that, like most of my life, things needn’t have been that way. Thankfully, I can have a chuckle about our collective thought process!