I’ve been looking at my life through a pinhole, hitting speed bump after speed bump when trying to think of something to write. Writers block induced by feeling not so very interesting, intelligent, or creative right now with the added pressure of making sure an Instagram worthy image can accompany my text. Sitting here with cold coffee in hand for over an hour, I’ve been half heartedly starting and stopping silly lists of my current “favorites” or trying to eek out some encouraging post. All the while, I’m glancing at the book beside me—Bill Bryson’s “The Road to Little Dribbling”—and wishing I could just curl up with a cup of tea and read about England. Because ya’ll—I’ve been seriously missing England for the past couple of weeks. It’s not just a wish to travel and take a break from the every day, but a real missing of the actual place and the life I lived there. I spent the first half of my engagement to Chris in the UK while studying at Oxford University. Living here for several months solidified the love that had been growing since I was ten years old, when my family moved to Kenya. A former British colony, Kenya is a special mix of African and English. My family came to love certain British brands and traditions, eating Jafa Cakes with our tea and buying mini poppers at Christmas. We learned that Boxing Day was actually about “unboxing” Christmas gifts not about the sport and that the metric system really does make more sense. Something clicked this morning while I battled writer’s block: that I’ve been too focused on my life now. I’ve shut off a big part of my life—moving overseas as a child and thus having the opportunity to travel around the world (funny how travel is so much easier once you’ve crossed that massive ocean!). I’ve struggled with this shutting off instinct ever since moving back to America as a young teen: it seemed easier to just try to blend in. I got tired of being met with blank stares and uncertain questions. People just didn’t get me. So I stopped talking about or bringing it up. I started realizing how bad this was when my closest friends at college would say stuff like, “I totally forgot you lived in Kenya!” or “Wow, I didn’t realize you had been to so many counties!” It’s not their fault that they forgot. I just never talked about it out of some perverted sense that doing so seemed “pretentious” or made me look too privileged. Here’s the truth: my family is really privileged! We lived most of our life together in a free country; we were surrounded by generous, faithful family and friends; my mom made us the most wonderful home and devoted her life to her kids; my dad is a very hard working, principled family medicine-turned-ER doctor. My mom and dad were able to provide beyond just basic needs: they gave us so many experiences. And hands down, one of the best experiences they ever gave us kids was the chance to see and know the world. I am me because they chose not to stay in one town and buy a home and live “comfortably” or “traditionally.” They took some risks and did some conventionally not-so-wise things. In the middle of my dad’s career, they became missionaries. When moving back to the States, they took their savings and used it to RV around Europe for a month, one of the highlights of my life. When I was having a hard time with Kate’s adoption, they decided that I should travel with them to China to pick her up. By the time I was 21, I had been to 21 counties. Few of these were from “vacation;” most were from doing life with my family. I’ve decided to open up this box again, to start peeking back at this life-time of memories so far and sharing what I can. Being a third culture kid and traveling the world has made me who I am. It’s time to start acting like it. So, today I’m sharing some of the things that I miss about England. In the next weeks and months, I’ll be writing about some of the funny, crazy, and once-in-a-life time experiences I’ve had as a Southern-born, African-middle schooled, mid-Atlantic high schooled, New York City colleged, back to the South 20 something. Oh England, I miss:
2 Comments
Karla
9/12/2016 10:40:02 pm
I love England too-- and I'm really looking forward to more posts about your travel, MK & TCK experiences in the other countries you've visited, especially China!
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Eloise Keeler
11/26/2016 08:35:54 pm
Makes me want to go there so much...love the pictures and, of course, your writing!
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Authorwife to a med student and mama to three under three, seeking the joyful and learning to live by faith. Find me on Instagram and Pinterest or shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you!
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