We will say goodbye to many dear friends this summer as they repatriate to the states or move on to other international destinations. This is the life of an expat, people come and go from your life with such frequency that at first you don't bother to make friends. In the end, you realize that friends are the only thing that can sustain such a lifestyle, so you cling to one another and plan for extended visits when your time together has drawn to a close.
Three of the girls leaving were my life support when we first arrived in Budapest. I met all of them on our "look-see" to the city in November 2007. They each provided priceless information to get me ready to move here and then welcomed me with open arms when we arrived. I can't believe a year has passed so quickly and now it is time to say goodbye.
As we try to savor our last few weeks here together, we've been planning lots of dinner, playdates and parties. We had a big farewell party on Friday night honoring Laura & Jason, Heather & Aaron and Mary & Peter. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner cruise on the Danube followed by a gathering at the terrace of Hotel Intercontinental along the river. The remaining few gals put together a tribute montage to those friends departing and we even revised the words to "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music to bid adieu to our friends and make sure they left with smiles on their faces. Our rendition will not be airing on You Tube anytime soon, but we did draw applause from some passers-by!
Dear friends, you will be so missed! We have big shoes to fill in your absence.
Lots of Ladies!
Keesha & Lee with Meredith & Kyle
1 comment:
OK, this one made me tear up. That would be tough! What a great farewell tribute though. Looking forward to July!
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