When you live overseas it gives friends and family the opportunity to explore the world by visiting you. Over the past few months we have had our home warmed by the presence of multiple guests. In July we hosted friends from Norway. August brought my mother-in-law (Kansas) for a visit. In September our guests were people we did not know (California), friends of a friend (although the label "strangers" disappeared quickly). Our most recent guest was my best friend growing up (Manitoba), known him for roughly 42 years.
The best thing about guests is being able to be with family and friends. Our last guest commented that even though we see each other seldom but when we do it is a matter of seconds and it is like we were never apart. We may not have known our September guests but being from the same country and of the same faith brought an immediate bond/connection. Nothing beats catching up, laughing, rehashing tales of old and creating new memories.
One of the joys of having guests is "showing off" where you live. Other than the obvious top tourist attractions there are the hidden gems, the out of the way attractions, the ones we stumbled upon by accident. We also enjoy showing off our daily lives, going to the store, driving on crazy streets, encountering new customs and traditions, etc. Our guests get to see what the travel brochures show and how life really is where we live. What a pleasure it is seeing our guests experience people, places and things that they have only read or heard about before. It is surreal to realize that what we use to consider as "exotic" has become our daily life, and it is fun to share a little of that experience with our family and friends. Our guests get a better understanding of our lives and later when people, places or things come up in conversation they have more meaning to them.
We enjoy our visitors and would love to have more, just don't all come at once.
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