Kindness of Strangers...

There are a lot experiences in life that can humble a person.  Moving overseas has been the most humbling experience.  Everything, even the language at times, is foreign.  For those first few weeks, ever time we did something, it was our first time.  Moving overseas is not like going on a vacation.  There are all those tasks associated with moving that must be completed.  To complicate matters, when you move overseas, you have no credit history and often times do not understand the process for each task. 

From the moment we arrived in the UK, we have been reliant on the kindness of strangers to answer our questions, explain forms, point us in the correct direction, even give us a drive.  One of the first tasks we had to complete was setting up a bank account.  AJ's company provides each expat family with a letter that helps the family open a bank account, but we still had to fill out the forms.  We tried our best to complete the forms before going to the bank to ask our questions.  Upon arrival, we attempted to ask one of the employees our questions, so we could submit the application.  Initially, she just told us to have a seat a table and "Give it a go!"  After getting this answer three times, she and another employee realized we were truly clueless and needed their assistance.  They then helped us complete the application, which immediately lifted a weight off our shoulders. 

When we moved into our house, there was a host of tasks that needed to be completed.  The first task was switching the utilities into our name.  I called the utilities company to complete this task.  A man with a thick Gordie accent answered to assist me.  At this point, I was still working on understanding the various accents.  As I attempted to understand his questions enough to provide the correct information, I could tell that he was having just as much difficulty understanding me.  After sensing my slight frustration that I could not understand the information he wanted, he politely transferred me to another employee.  This employee was much easier for me to understand and patiently explained everything I needed to do and know. 

 Finally, our neighbors, who initially were strangers, but have quickly become friends, have shown us continual kindness.  Three sets of neighbors introduced themselves to us within two days of our arrival.  They have shown us how to set our security system, pick up train tickets, operate the washing machine, move furniture, and how to lock and unlock the house.  While we were grateful for their help with each of those tasks, we are truly appreciative of the sense of community, friendship, and security they have given us.  So much of life overseas can easily become overwhelming in those initial days and weeks, but our neighbors' kindness has made this new country start to feel like home.

So, as you walk through life, remember that a bit of kindness can be the burst of sunshine in a stranger's day, and that our lights will always be on!

~W