There and Back Again

We can never do everything we want to do and see everyone and everything we want to see during our trips back. This time we spent a lot of time with family and enjoyed two Thanksgiving gatherings, a few baby showers, and a few brunches. We spent several days of quality time with the niece and nephews, something that is really rare because of the distance and all schedules rarely matching up. All the interactions had added weight in my mind too, just knowing that the next time I see everyone, everything will be different. I will be a mom (mum) and I will have different priorities.

I already miss all the family and friends we got to spend time with, even though it's just been a short time since we were there. Missing out on so much that is happening with all of them is the hardest thing about living here. Social media gets a bad rap sometimes, but I don't know what I would do without it connecting me to everyone back at home on a regular basis. I hate that it's so long until I'll be able to see everyone again.

Travelling for 24 hours is always exhausting. Travelling pregnant is more exhausting and uncomfortable than it already is. Jet-lag and dehydration can hit you even harder. You're supposed to wear these uncomfortable compression socks for long flights.  You're more susceptible to nausea when there's turbulence. You radiate heat and have a harder time regulating your body temperature. The sleep and eating schedule disruption feels exponential. Anyway, I survived, having learned that I never want to travel over the Pacific again while pregnant. Arriving in the states is really discombobulating (even just normally), and then we get to experience it all over again when we come back here, to a slightly lesser degree. 

At least we can count on our cats excitedly welcoming us back. In the next few days, I'm sure we'll be reminded of all the reasons we chose to stay here longer, and we choose to go through these travel ordeals. We live a double life, between the states and here. Everyone at home guilts us to come back, and we really are planning to in about two years. I know that doesn't mean much because we said that when we left almost four years ago, but we really do mean it.