Abby and I found an apartment in the town where she's going to school, which is great! We had been staying with my mom and dad, but well, let's just say moving home after about 18 years is difficult. My parents were great and have been more than supportive, but we needed our own space.
So, Chuck is still in Saudi, and it's fair to say that this new take on expat life has been challenging, almost as challenging as moving overseas itself! Our family is separated, and in the past few months, internet in Saudi has been less than reliable, so Skyping has been pretty much non-existent. We text through some free aps, but mainly call, and I won't even tell what our phone bill is! We talk about 3 times a day just to stay in touch and make sure that he's still part of the family and updated on EVERYTHING. He refuses Facebook, so I do a lot of updating and keeping him informed of everything from colds to good days and bad as much as I can. Abby is finally coming around and will talk to her daddy more and more on the phone.
We did meet in Kalkan, Turkey last month for 2 wonderful weeks, which was fantastic. I fell in love with the area last year when we visited and still love the area! We have some amazing friends there and can't express how much the town feels like our "home away from home". We took a day trip to a Greek island so I was able to mark another country off my bucket list. :)
So what is it like being a separated expat family? It's hard. I'm not going to lie. We moved to Saudi and became so dependent on each other because of where were were. We learned to spend time as a family through picnics, beach trips and vacations. To be separated again and trying to manage a family from 9,000 miles away is hard and very lonely at times. Abby and I have had quite a few adjustments just getting used to being back in the States, and Chuck is trying to adjust to being a "bachelor" overseas without us there to fill the time away from work.
Abby and I spend our off time cooking and baking, seeing movies and spending time with family. Oh and shopping, even after 6 months, we still love to shop whenever without prayer time! Chuck has been spending time with some of his guy friends, but admits he misses the family gatherings. The thing is, with the expats overseas, the families tend to stick together and the "bachelors" tend to stick together, so it's a whole different culture for him to adjust to.
Then there's the loneliness. Nights after Abby goes to bed, Chuck's day is just starting and he's at work, so the "adult" conversations are rough. It's hard to talk about what's going on with Abby, or even with anything that might be bothering us. Times we can call are limited and usually Abby is there, so many conversations get put on the back burner. I can't count the number of times either of us say, "Didn't I tell you about that?"
This is whole new dimension to the expat life, and although it's been 6 months, some days are still good and others, well, they're rough. The holidays are getting harder and harder on all of us. Abby's been overly emotional lately and I know it's the idea that she's going to see Santa, but daddy isn't there. He'll be home for Christmas, but the time leading up to it, with Thanksgiving and seeing other families at Chapel together is hard.
Oh and the sickness! Ugh! Going over we were sick all the time due to different germs and strains of colds and the flu that we weren't immune to, well the same thing happens when you return! Abby's home today with a cold that won't go away and after 2 trips to the Dr, even knowing it's a simple cold, she's on antibiotics because as the Dr. said, she doesn't have the immune system for "American" germs.
So this is where we are on our adventure. I'm still in my master's program and ending my first FULL semester - getting ready for the holidays and ready for daddy to be home and see our new apartment and home. I have to admit it was fun buying furniture and decorating a home my way, and I'm really excited for him to see it. It's not ideal, but hey it's all part of our adventure!