As we got ready for the day this morning, we may have shed a few tears. Life here isn’t easy and it can take its toll. Giving up our old life was never something we thought twice about it – we knew it was the right thing to do. But that doesn’t mean that we are always overjoyed about it. Life here means we are far away from everything we knew … here are a few things the girls want you to know:

1. 1. 1. Friends – please make an effort to stay in touch. 
   2. Having friends in a foreign country is hard! We feel alone a lot … there aren’t a lot of kids who look like us or speak the same language, so friendships here are tough. We think back on our time with our American friends and often feel forgotten. We don’t get to go to sleepovers or homecomings and we have serious FOMO. Also, we MISS YOU! So, keep us in your life! Tell us about your new dog or how you aced a test you were scared about … tell us about anything! We are never too busy to hear from you.

1. 1. 2. Life here is harder than you might think.
   2. Some people have the idea that we sit around and hand things out to poor people all day. That is definitely not the case! Life here is HARD! We struggle with the language, cultural differences, educational disparities, the heat … the list goes on and on. Plus, things like water and electricity are so different and not dependable. Trust us, it isn’t like living on Nim’s Island!

1. 1. 3. Being away from family is difficult. 
   2. We miss dinners at the grandparents or hanging out with our cool aunt … We don’t always get to be there for holidays and funerals, so we feel alone sometimes. Being away from our main support system is hard. Family means the world to us and we miss having them nearby. We love and need our family … but we are very thankful for FaceTime!

1. 1. 4. We miss our old life sometimes.
   2. We know we shouldn’t, but we do. Life in America was good and we were happy! We miss things like going to the farmer’s market, the zoo, the library, and other normal things. We miss good grocery stores and all the food (especially Mexican food). We miss our old house and yard and neighborhood. We miss Trick-or-Treating and fall weather! We know this life is what God has asked of us, but it isn’t easy.

1. 1. 5. We want to feel pretty, too!
   2. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to feel pretty in 100 degree heat? Without a hot shower? And dirt under your fingernails every 5 seconds? We sweat, a lot. Nail polish just doesn’t last very long here. And it is really hard to feel clean (much less pretty) without a good hot shower! We can’t blow dry our hair (and you can forget about curling or flat irons) so, air dry it is. We know this seems silly, but we’re GIRLS! This island life is far from glamorous, but we’ll still try!

So, as you go about your day (today or any other) and if we should pop into your mind … please tell us! It’s great to know we’re still part of your world.