You Say Goodbye, I Say Watermelon

Life overseas is full of goodbyes. I said goodbye to my family, friends, job, cats, and car when I left America. Since I made that movie, I've discovered that an overseas life is a transient one. Families move; students graduate; the only place in the country that makes tacos shuts down. Goodbyes seem to compile during the summer; people drift away at the end of the school year leaving holes and a melancholy feeling behind. This summer, before I had to say most of the goodbyes, I knew to squeeze in as many hellos as I could. We took the students to the park for the last day of school and capped off our day with ice cream. I said goodbye to my old apartment and moved into a new one, including roommates! Before my roommates scattered, though, we spent quality time together, moving furniture around and dumpster diving so Lydia could upcycle these old windows. In a few months I'll put up a picture of them assembled into a room-divider with paitings-in-progress, I'm...