REFLECTIONS

As we were pulling out of the driveway headed to Heathrow airport, it was hard to believe two years had come and gone. It seems just like yesterday Amber and I were discussing travelling overseas and here we are, been there-done that-back home. As I reflect on the experience, there were many highs and some lows. I won’t dwell on the lows, that’s boring and depressing; besides they were mainly just frustrating adjustments to international life. I will focus on the highs. I think the highs for me were one part professional and one part personal. From a professional perspective, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that was provided to me and also that my loving wife was willing enough to take the plunge. It was an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to partake in setting up the shared service center and I learned so much from it, met so many wonderful people, and will have many lasting memories. From a personal perspective, the travel was unbeatable and the expanded view of the world is something you will never get in the US. It is so expensive to travel to Europe from the US, takes so much time, and really, until you live there, you don’t know all the secrets to getting around. We were fortunate to be stationed in London with cheap flights and the ability to leave on a whim and travel somewhere new and exciting. I think the most memorable places had to be Italy because it was the first big trip and also the France/Germany trip we took in the summer of 2008. Other memorable experiences were visiting the Youngs in Amsterdam and our parents’ visits in London. I never thought I would be the translator for my parents in an English speaking country. They aren’t even old yet!!! And it was really cool that Amber was able to surprise her Mom and take her to Paris (which was my suggestion by the way). Also, me surprising Amber by taking her to Vienna for her 30th birthday was exciting!

Living overseas also expanded my view of the world tremendously. Sitting in the US, you just never appreciate the differences of the others living on this globe, nor can you really understand. Many things came to life living in Europe. Europe is full of history, many different cultures and customs, languages, and ways of conducting business. While I am truly enjoying being back in the US with all we are afforded here, I am appreciative of the different perspective I gained living in Europe.

Most of all, I am happy to be back with my friends and family, which were too far away while we were there!!!!

~Matt

I can't add much to what Matt said. It was an experience that has changed us forever and we are so grateful for that opportunity. It was tough at times, especially when Matt was away for work and I was on my own in England, but our relationship is stronger for it. There were so many emotions throughout the whole process. I said that if we could make it through that we could make it through anything. I can't imagine seeing the world with anyone else! I look forward to future international adventures - and there definitely will be more! Maybe South America next...!

We want to thank our family and friends for all the love and support they've given us while abroad. We also want our new friends in Europe to know that we will never forget them and hope that our paths cross again in the future!

~Amber