People are Strange...

It is often difficult adjusting to life in a new place, and it's usually even harder to develop a sense of belonging. Kimberlee and I have lived Holland for roughly a year now (her a little more and me a little less). Last night, on the way home from dinner with friends, we happend to get off the tram a few stops before the one near our flat in order walk around a bit and get some fresh air. Kim mentioned to me that while she usually thinks nothing of it, occassionally she is confronted by how strange it is to be living in a foreign country. I must say that I agree. For the most part, the novelty has worn off, nothing strikes me as being that foreign anymore. But sometimes, out of the blue, it hits me. Being something of a "rolling stone" the last decade of my life, I've lived in quite a few different places. In many ways I've grown accustomed to this "wunderlust" that creeps up on me after living somewhere for about a year. Still, the older I get the less inclined I am to move just for the sake of changing up the scenery.
For example, both of us know our way around the city and can find whatever it is we need or want with little trouble. And the Dutch, to their credit, are proficient language users, which makes it easier for expats to get along without knowing a lick of the local toungue. Everything seems fairly well organized (trians run on time, etc.). All of this makes the transition to life abroad fairly painless. But there is a difference between adjusting to a place and making it your own, and the later is a much more difficult accomplishment. It always seems that one develops a sizable number of "aquaintances" wherever one goes but indeed friends are much harder to come by. Of course, to develop friendships takes time but when one moves around so often those friendships never seem to truely mature and blossom. So what am I getting at? While travelling and moving is often exciting and holds the promise of new experiences and potential for personal growth, when that excitement fades, things can be challenging. Of course, I may just be speaking for me, but it can sometimes be a lonely thing to be a stranger in a strange land.