Now that I'm one day out from moving to another country and leaving America's breakneck-paced rat race to nowhere, I'm turning a page in my book and reflecting on the enormity of what lies ahead. Sometimes I feel a little meshugennah for planting myself in a country I've never been, but most days, I feel a peacefulness in my soul about it all. Destiny? Maybe. I just know it feels right.
For those of y'all interested in moving abroad, brace yourself for two things: 1) creating the moving checklist of a lifetime (I'm sure we'll go over that, at some point!), and 2) the question people most readily ask: "What are you most excited about?"
Well, Eva, what are you most excited about?
Easily, an answer bubbles: a slower pace and a higher quality of life. It's a double-edged sword of excitement, though, because the other tip of it leads to one of the things I'll miss most about America: its convenience. Will I have to get used to stores closing earlier than American standards? Let go of Amazon Prime? Wait longer for my food at a restaurant? Here's what I've come to: maybe it's for the best. Maybe there's a middle road and I'm about to hop right on it.
The other thing I'm most excited about is learning about new cultures, whether it's Lithuania's deep Pagan roots, the history of their independence (and its atypical merger with Deadheads), or any other number of tips and tricks from my new Lithuanian and expat friends. The point is: I'm ready to learn and I'm ready to listen.
If I could channel it all into one little word, it would be: embrace -- the embrace of a new life and a new culture, as well as the embrace of everything I hold, including the discomfort of shooting into a new stream. While I'll be leaving a part of me behind -- a whole country, in fact! -- a new me is being created as I write these words.
And I think she's ready to show up and embrace the unknown.
Viso gero, America! Until we meet again.
