Between worlds 🌍 heading home for the holidays
I’m calling this a bonus musing since it’s outside of the usual format. My intuition is calling for me to express more so I want to share more to y'all
✨ TLDR ✨
✈️ It’s my last day in Taiwan for 2025
💙 Feeling all the feels about heading home after 7.5 months abroad
🌏 Reflecting on what “home” means and how to reconnect with people I’ve missed
🙏 Grateful for this chapter, even with the challenges
Writing this on Nov 11, my last day in Taiwan for 2025. Vinny and I are heading back to the States for the holidays to spend time with family and friends, and we won’t be back until after the new year.
I’m not gonna lie, it hasn’t fully hit me that I’ve spent nearly 7.5 months here. I’ve gotten used to the rhythm of life out here: the culture, the people, the weather even lol, that part of me worries about what adjustments I’ll have to make when I go back to Boston.
I’ve seen social media posts about how things are changing back home, but what’s been on my mind lately is more personal. How do I integrate back into people’s lives now that I can see them in person again? Will it feel the same? Or will some relationships quietly fade away?
Part of me feels sad about the moments I’ve missed, family gatherings, birthdays, watching my nieces and nephews grow up. I’ll probably be that tita saying, “Omg, you’ve gotten so big! You were a baby when I last saw you 🥹” while they awkwardly mumble, “Hi tita…” 😅
The disconnection is probably the hardest part about living abroad. Being far from family and friends in the US, not being fluent enough in Mandarin to connect deeply here, and realizing that most of my English-speaking friends live hours away. 🫠
Still...I don’t regret moving here. Every challenge has taught me something new and in the tougher moments, I remind myself what a blessing it is to experience life abroad and travel the world with my husband.
I’m learning that living abroad isn’t just about adjusting to new places, it’s about adjusting yourself — to stillness, to change, to what matters most. I've come to realize there are so many dumb little things I stress out over, actually don't matter in the long run and it's an unlearning season where I'm recognizing what's important to me vs. an expectation from someone else.
It’s humbling, but it’s freeing too. I’m grateful for the reminder that growth doesn’t always look like doing more l, sometimes it’s just about letting go.
Thank you for reading and being part of my journey, wherever in the world you are.
See you soon, from back home in Boston.
💙 Ashley
