A Tough Lesson in Expat Life

We just finished up our 2nd school year in Jakarta and I'm sad. I'm still learning so much about Expat life and my newest lesson is that June sucks. Although, we are so excited to head to America this summer (and we have some super fun things planned during that time), we leave here knowing that some of the best friends we have made, won't be here when we get back. Most Expats typically stay in one place for 2-3 years before moving on to another grand adventure. New people are always coming into our little Expat community, but this means people are always leaving too. Friendships are forged quickly; And we rely heavily on these friendships. We are all in this adventure together and bond quickly over shared frustrations and triumphs. Text messages to let everyone know that milk is back at the grocery store become the norm. We've had friends move away over the past two years, but this June we are being hit particularly hard. Our "first" friends are moving back to the states; And several other great families are off on new adventures as well. It will be hard to come back in August. We will be excited to meet the new families coming in, but several families that hold a special place in our hearts will no longer be in Jakarta. We wish them all the best and look forward to meeting up with them again (Plus, we now have an excuse to visit places like Jay, Florida and Kobe, Japan). But in the meantime, we need to find someone new to text when milk is back at the grocery store!