fI've been home in Wisconsin for almost 2 weeks now and I've got...10 DAYS LEFT! Crazy! Can I effectively pack in 10 days? We shall see, my friends, we shall see.
While I was at PFO (which I now realize I never explained...) we had a wonderful talk on leaving your home country, along with several on moving to a new place, entering a new culture, etc. One very important concept covered in this session was the necessity of building yourself a good RAFT.
Very quickly, the "R" stands for reconciliation: if you've got issues with somebody, it's important to resolve them before moving away. The "A" is for affirmation, or letting your special people know just how awesome they are. The "F" is for farewells and "T" is for Think Destination.
I'm in a crazy combo circle of affirmations, farewells, and - you bet - I've got Singapore on the brain almost 24-7. Last night I had dinner and three great hours of conversation with a long-time friend (Hannah A., if you're reading, you're fabulous!). This weekend I'll be saying good-bye to several relatives (after driving 8 hours together, maybe we'll want to say good-bye?). And next week...well, it's going to be a little insane - but maybe in the best bittersweet way possible.
You can thank David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken, authors of the book Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, for the RAFT concept.
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