Making Me Smile // Friendship and Goodbyes

25 May 2014

Working on my new online store - So many pretty necklaces, check it out - BHEARTB.com
'Do It Myself' insta-prints for my noticeboard.
Nail Mail! You know this would always make me smile!
Left to Right - OPI Taupe-less Beach, Rose Of Light and Don't Bossa Nova Me Around. 
Swatches (inevitbly) coming soon!
Mini macarons and tea on a rainy afternoon. And yes, the ombre made them taste even better!
Friendship.

This last week has been a busy one, mainly spent at my desk. I'm in the process of setting up a new online store combining lots of gorgeous statement jewels and little treasures with my own handmade stuff I've been selling on Etsy. I'm so excited to get it open, hopefully next week!

I took a small break mid-week with the Mr to go to PAUL - l'incroyable boulangerie et pâtisserie de la France! It's SO good! I discovered on the last trip there with my girlfriends that their mini macarons were melt in the mouth deliciousness. Seemingly, when I find a place I like, I can't visit anywhere else for a while.

Last weekend my friends and I said goodbye to one dear friend from our group. She's been in Indonesia for a couple of years, but the time had come for her to head on to her next adventure. She's returning home for a short while and then has some epic travel plans. 

It's always hard to say goodbye to friends in any situation, but as an expat it's a (far too) common experience and for me, quite sombre. I'm always grateful to have had the opportunity to meet that friend; thankful for having their friendship; excited for them and their next big adventure; but invariably sad to lose them in my daily life.

Friendship as an expat is an awkward thing; the usual rules of friendship are defunct, and it feels both easier and more difficult to make friends, all at the same time. Of course, until you learn the local language fairly fluently, there are far less people you interact with on a daily basis, so you're less likely to meet someone who you really connect with. However, at the same time, alone in a new environment you can feel desperate for the companionship of a friend who can share in your experiences and the challenges of life in a foreign country. Given that feeling, I've found (generalising here) expats are more open to making new friendships. It's not weird to contact a fellow expat via a Facebook group and say 'hey, do you fancy going for coffee?' or to swap numbers with a person you meet in a store. Like at home, not every expat you meet is someone you feel you really connect with, but on the occasions that you do, you bond quickly. In a sense, your expat friends are your family in whichever country you happen to be calling home. Even if you spend only a couple of years together before moving on, you establish far deeper ties than that. 

I'm lucky to have made a handful of friends like that back in Korea and (I think) here in Indonesia, also. Lisa is one of those kind of friends. Although she'll be sorely missed here, I know it's not a real goodbye. We'll keep in touch, she'll likely stop by on her travels, and in years to come we'll probably meet to reminisce about life in Jakarta back in 2013/2014. Good luck Lisa, I'll see you soon!

x x x

7 comments:

  1. This is exciting, good luck with your store!
    xx

    Lauraslittleloves

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  2. I totally know what you mean about making friends as an expat. It's tough! Here in Vietnam, a vast majority of the expats are older men, which makes it even more difficult. I still talk to my friends back home on a daily basis, but it's totally not the same as being able to get tea or coffee and chat in person.

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  3. Goodbyes are hard. I'm going to have this goodbye thing too this end of May because i have to go back to Bandung. But, in this modern era, you can always keep in touch with your friends right ( even it's still not the same when you're apart ).
    Anyway, good luck on your new online shop! The necklaces look so pretty dear!
    can't wait for the swatches post :)

    nice post!

    Lots of love from your happy follower,
    ♥Ongles et De La Vie De Puspita♥
    ♥Instagram♥

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good luck with the store lovely. I can't wait to see all the pieces - you have amazing taste when it comes to fashion, especially jewellery.

    As an expat, I really miss my friends and family :'( It is really hard sometimes.

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  5. Goodbyes are never easy and I always think ow brave you (and others) are to move to a country so far away!

    I can't wait for your new store to open!

    xoxo
    Stacey
    Five Minute Style

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  6. I love those necklaces! That's so interesting about making friends as an expat - in London it's so hard to make new friends as there's nothing to really connect you with other people. It must be really hard to say goodbye once you've connected with someone in a new city but at least its easy to stay in touch and you never know when paths might cross again. x

    ReplyDelete

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