Starting to Settle In
Immigrating back to the States, my home country, has reminded me about the stages of grief. Just as when one experiences grief, our immigration wasn’t just a “one off” occurance. The travel for immigration happened on a specific date, but the act of actually “immigrating” or “settling in” continues to unfold.
During this forth month, some things started to settle in more. Our family began to have our own weekly rountines with Sundays spent at church and the beach and our grocery trips mostly happening at either Publix or Goodwill. After school is out, we go swimming in my parent’s pool. And so, some sort of daily rhythm has started to appear.
We’ve also had some big prayers answered! Mason AND Kim both started school – one as a student, and the other as a teacher. Mason got off the waiting list at Grace United Methodist Prek. He joined the school right around Halloween and has been thriving! HE LOVES going to school, making new friends and has developed quite a crush on his teacher, Miss Julia.
Kim, as of this blog, started his brand-new job as an 8th grade math teacher at the Sky Academy just two weeks ago! As if teaching in a new culture and language wasn’t enough, he’s also never taught math before – but he’s always up for and leans into new challenges. We are SO proud of him!
It’s amazing, as I, an almost-36 year old mama continually face unknowns in my own country, how unexpected so many of them are. I KNEW how much change I’d gone through by moving to and living in Europe for 5 years, but only upon coming back to my own country, have I really seen the magnitude to which it’s impacted my spirit.
I became a wife and mother in a foreign country. What I used to think was just a “cool fact” as part of my life, now I see, has shaped me more than I realized. Where Belgium wasn’t my normal, it became my normal for my wife hood and motherhood. Now, I am back in my home land, navigating my old norms that are actually new norms. All while living back home with my parents which is also a large adjustment that we are all continually learning how to respect and honor one another’s differences.
I’ve always said I’ve been pretty comfortable in the uncomfortable and this season is proving to be just that and MORE. Perhaps, this time it’s been harder because I wasn’t expecting it. I thought “coming home” would be easier. But, I am not the same. The last time I lived in Florida was 12 years ago.
So, even though my family as Belgians were the ones immigrating, in my spirit, I immigrated too. And still am. And will continue to grow alongside them in our journey of making the USA our home.
As it IS home and land of the Brave, we should all fit in just fine.
Xo, Cheyanne
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