Kate's Mystery Tour: Friends in Foreign Lands

New Year's Eve I found myself, legs draped over a case of beer, in the back-back of a bullet-proof SUV with another American mom on our way to a party. Country music came from an iPhone of a Texan marine sitting in the middle with our husbands. Somehow the American-ness of the talk, the sense of humor, the music, the behavior was surprising. Why? It dawned on me that I hardly ever hang out with groups of Americans. [Granted, the crew we were with have big personalities. American Mom J is brilliant and boisterous. She and the Texan were first on the dance floor, and I promise you, I have never in my life seen a man dance the way he did to "I'm Sexy and I Know It." Must have practiced in front of a mirror for months. I just stood there frozen, peeking through my fingers and giggling.]

Living like we do, here and there, for a few years at a time, we make friends from different places - a lot of them expats, too. This has always been a perk of our transient life, the downside being that we have to say good-bye. It can, in some ways, hinder the development of a friendship (the end will come so why invest too much), but it can just as easily intensify it (no strings attached, no predetermined assumptions about each other to get around). Curiosity about each other is deep - not only is this a unique person like anyone - but they are literally foreign, a totally different upbringing in a totally different environment. What was that like? And amidst that weirdness, finding common interests seems all the more special.

David and I were thinking about the friends we've had since we started this life together. I'm talking about the ones we were close to, the ones we went out with on the weekends, had over for the afternoons into evenings and all nighters for the family. The ones we traveled with, listened to and comforted in hard times, and confided in. They are from England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Zimbabwe, Germany, Palestine, Jordan, Denmark, Canada, Portugal, Ireland, India, Serbia, Italy, France, South Africa and yes, America.

Some of them are here now, but most of them are far away in other countries, and it will take a lot of luck and money to see each other again. But it's not impossible - take Clem, for example, an Italian who worked with David in Kosovo and Afghanistan has overlapped with us in Jordan and Zimbabwe. Reunions, as always are special - I just spent time with Austrian friend from Zim, Bettina, who had relocated to South Africa. For my 40th, we saw English friends from Jordan, Ben and Caroline, in Oman. Good, special times!

With email, Facebook, blogs and Skype, it's actually possible to keep in touch. So this is to you, friends! We love and miss you, and feel very lucky to have gotten to know you. As always, hoping our paths cross again...xo

Here are some of you...