Family Matters

Had a wonderful Google Hangout with my family this morning. My relationship with my family is sporadic. Living an ocean away from them this year has capitalized on that; we've had to poke each other with sticks a few times. It's given me practice up-keeping long distance relationships, a necessary life-skill after college. My inevitable sensitivity to the forms of correspondence, digital and letteral, reflects my hot-then-cold attitude towards people in general. But what I've begun to truly understand, from not being a fifty-minute car drive away from the most important people in my life, is unconditional love and support. They are the ones I can jab with a stick after an absence and who will subsequently smack back, pin me down, and let one rip.

And coming this summer, yes, six out of seven Nedeau-Owens will be in Korea! This is the first big family trip in a long time and I can't wait. One of my friends does a lot of traveling with her mom and we've talked about how nice it is to travel with family -- no pretending, I am mean and grumpy but also somehow delightful to be around. I'm probably going to cry when I see them. 

When I studied in France, my first conscious time abroad, I missed my family from an angle that surprised me. I was seeing and smelling and tasting and hearing and touching SENSING all these things I hugely wanted them to be there for. Just so I could say, "Mom, look! Dad, do you see? It's Notre Dame! It's the Eiffel Tower! It's Monet's Garden!"

I am extremely excited to be with them as they experience and react to South Korea. I am so curious to hear what they think, see how they process everything with what different perspectives they will bring. Korea holds a lot of weight in our family and it will be a happy trip if also at times difficult, angsty, and tiring. It's going to be FABulous!! Poke. Love you, family.