Letter to My Best Friends

Diary Extract from an Overseas Teenager

Dear Best Friends,

Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but I still can't even begin to tell you just how much I miss you. My family and I went for a vacation in the States before we actually moved. The plane flight back took forever. I opened the letters you guys gave me. I would have cried, but I didn't have the energy. As I went through customs, the lady stamping the passports asked me what was wrong. I thought I did a pretty good job of hiding my misery...I guess not. You have to promise not to tell anyone, but all during the summer I would stay up at night, staring at the ceiling, and the next thing I knew I would just start crying. So much for being a tough girl.

There was a time when I called the States my home. Now I just walk around, blank and uncertain. Even at family reunions, I just don't fit in. Everything just feels so empty sometimes. Anyway, my new school is big and cold. It's hard when I'm walking from class to class, and I can't help but remember just 6 months ago, everything seemed so perfect.

Everyone tells us how lucky we are, having the opportunity to live in other countries, experience cultures, and travel. I know this is true, and believe me, I'm incredibly grateful. Still, everyone forgets to mention, the moving, the goodbyes, those painful lost relationships--and the list goes on. I could keep going with my diatribe; however, I really do have something important to tell you guys. As I think about it more and more, I truly believe we really do have good lives. What we have seen and experienced will, in the end, build us up instead of tear us down. I just wish we could skip all of the hard stuff. We go through more than most people realize, but I think it will be worth it. Just for the time I got to spend with you guys, I would endure a lifetime of being the new kid. For a long time, it seemed that there was no method to the madness of this world. Now I am holding to the belief that there really is a master plan. I do think God has got our lives worked out. It is so easy for me to get apathetic and quit trying. So what I am trying to say is I need you guys. Maybe if we all keep trying, no matter how far apart we are, we will all get through.

Love,
An Overseas Teenager