Finding Ground in Our New Home

We’re a month in from saying goodbyes state-side and beginning our journey to home across the Atlantic. In an ordinary year, shifting to a new normal overseas would be a lot to process. But we all know there’s nothing ordinary about this past year. For us it meant a year of virtual learning (praise you, teachers), packing up our Tennessee home, saying goodbyes that didn’t feel complete, moving cross country, unpacking into our Maryland home only to re-pack it 3 months later for various shipments - one by plane, one a slow-moving boat, and the last stays behind stateside in longterm storage, collecting dust for an unknown number of years. I’m an internal processor, and with very little time to myself this past year, I’ve been in survival mode. Landing in Cairo has felt grounding. We are finally home. So many moving pieces (literally!), and now, here we are on the other side. The whirlwind is finally settling, and I have space to process where we are: the cradle of ancient civilization. And not just for a visit. On the one hand, it does feel like we’re playing tourist. Everything is foreign. There’s so much to see and explore - and to eat! But at the exact same time, we are setting up a new home. We need to find the internet shop in the neighborhood to get cell service set up. We walk the route to school before drop-off the first day. I jot down my new Egyptian number on strips of paper for my son to pass on to new friends in hopes of future playdates. I have to figure out where to buy peanut butter my kids will like, soy sauce for our favorite stir-fry and cilantro because I can’t seem to find it anywhere (hint: I learned yesterday that it’s coriander in the supermarkets here. And it’s available everywhere). All things that remind me this is not a vacation, this is home. The energy we give daily to set the rhythms for our families. That’s what the last month has mostly been about. It’s been both exhausting and exciting. And yes, there’s a tinge of homesickness that lingers. My guess is that it’s normal. The in between is what I call it. The settling in - to a new city, new home, new school. A new normal. It all takes time, and I am finally grounded enough to take it all in.