Its slightly past 10pm and I just got home from a very long day at work. The usual stuff but with a school board meeting thrown in at the end of it all, it made for a long night.
But at the end of it, one of my fellow teachers made me a wonderful gesture that I couldn't refuse - a ride home in her SUV. With temps below freezing and snow/ice scattered about, the ride home on the bicycle would have been nasty. But this kind woman asked if I wanted to pack my bike into her car and get a warm & comfortable ride home. She didn't have to, I have the clothes to wear for the chilly conditions but she doesn't think that way.
I find that expats tend to help each other out in many ways - more so than would happen in your native country. Since I lack any mode of 4-wheeled transportation, I am reliant upon others for rides in cars. As many of you know, life can be much easier if you have a car.
But I have noticed that expats are often quick to help with whatever you may need, even if you don't ask. They offer me their car if I need it, invite me to family events while mine is not here, or pull me aside for a complimentary beer with lotsa fun conversation put in for good measure. I appreciate this community of expats and I know from personal experience that it isn't just those expats here in Holland. From my travels around the world, I find expats to be my extended family who does so much more than would ever be expected.
I am amazed and awed and grateful for the families that take me in as they do. They give so much and never ask for anything in return. But that's what this community is all about, and I do enjoy it so. Its one of the things that I would miss about living back home and it is one of the reasons why I will continue to stay abroad.
My thanks Christine for the warm heart and car tonight. She is just one of the many who do so much for me. I love those little things dearly.
About Me
- Expat Nomad
- Hardest question to answer? "Where are you from?" I've had problems finding a place to settle down and calling a place home. There's just something about going new places, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures. Maybe one of these days I'll stumble into a permanent place to hang my hat. Until then, I am a wanderin' fool.
1 comment:
I agree with you, Ex-Pat Nomad. We ex-pats really do help each other out. Without our families and long-time friends, we're forced(in a good way!)to be each other's family.
When I returned to live in States after six years of living abroad, I found it very, very hard to find friends who cared about me in the ways that my ex-pat friends did. I missed that close bond.
Throughout the years, the friends that I've made while living in other countries are still my closest friends. There's no way to explain to others who've not lived overseas the special bond that occurs between those of us who have chosen to live abroad.
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