Day 10.5–Birthday Countdown
Last New Year's Eve at Kami's house!
Welcome to my 30th birthday countdown. Don’t worry. There’s no Ryan Seacrest or Dick Clark. Just the ramblings of a somewhat-tortured soul trying to make sense of the beginning of a new decade. 
10.5
The number of time zones between where I live and where most of my friends and family live.
So, if it is 10:00 a.m. for me in South Asia, it is 11:30 p.m. for people at home in Central Time Zone. And if it is 11:30 p.m. for me, it is 1:00 p.m. for people at home. And just when we start to feel like we’re getting the hang of it, daylight savings will throw a wrench into the mix since South Asia will stay the same.
Figuring out the best time to talk to people can get tricky, but I am so thankful for the many friends and family who haven’t let that stop them from contacting us! (And if you just haven’t gotten a chance to call us yet, don’t worry. There’s still plenty of time left for us to figure out a phone date!
Ten and a half hours of a time difference has got to be one of the strangest things about moving to a foreign country literally halfway around the world. Everyone is going to bed just as we’re starting our day and we’re going to bed just as everyone else is starting their days. Honestly, when you move from a huge tight-knit community like the one we left behind in Nashville, it can make days feel lonely and disconnected at times. But then, other times, it does sort of help focus and quiet the soul in the midst of a loud and bustling city that rarely sleeps.
And just this weekend, I missed the start of college football season because I wasn’t willing to get up at 2 a.m. to watch it online! (Going to have to figure that one out before the Iron Bowl.)
*This should have been posted last night, but I was having too much fun with some (mostly) new friends to celebrate an early birthday since we’ll be traveling on my actual birthday. They did a great job making me feel special in my new home! I am very blessed.