Stop Interrupting!

I have a horrible habit... I interrupt people when they're speaking.  I am highly aware of it, I even think about it during many conversations, and yet I can't seem to stop!  Whether I'm getting to know someone or have been friends for ages, I just can't stop myself from making a comment while they're speaking, then that leads to me overtaking the conversation, again and again.  My head tells me, just stop talking, let them finish, and yet I do it anyway.  Sometimes after the conversation I regret interrupting because I never let them finish something interesting they were saying. 

And worst of all, I get frustrated or irritated when I'm interrupted, oh the irony!  I have one friend that does it to me quite often, and for the most part two interrupters doesn't make for an easy conversation.  Now my grandma & I have it down pat though, even my husband questions how we have two different conversations at once, but it just works.

It is definitely an annoying trait of mine that I'm going to work on.  And for those of you who deal with me in person, just say something... a little embarrassment never hurts, it might actually make me work through this bad habit even faster!

(In case you don't understand the picture, it's a reference to Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift's 2009 VMA speech.)

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Good Bye & Good Luck

As an expat you make a wide variety of friends & acquaintances in your new country, ones native to the land you live in and then of course other expats.  When I moved to The Netherland over 10 yrs ago at first I acquired friends, mostly my husbands old friends & their girlfriends.  It didn't take me long to start making my own friends though, some of which I still see.  But for the most part my friends were Dutch, and it took me a while to realize that.  It wasn't until my daughter came along and I had to start seeking out activities with kids that I started making my own expat friends.  At first the relationships seemed ideal, no obligations other than occasional play dates, this fit into my schedule well.  But of course when you're seeing someone on a weekly or bi-weekly basis you can't help but get to know them better.  And of course a few of these people actually became friends.  When they talked about the possibility of leaving The Netherlands because of their husbands jobs it all seemed so far away.  I guess I figured I knew what I was getting in to and I was o.k. with temporary friends.  But now that a couple have actually left, permanently, off to new adventures, lives, jobs, & countries, it's actually sinking in.  The first one that left went fairly easy, I was able to say goodbye, I didn't mention to my tot it was the last time, I just let her enjoy her time with the little boy she had grown so fond of.  But this last friend to move has hit a little harder.  The way our schedules worked out we didn't even get to say goodbye properly, in person.  It's making me question if I can actually handle temporary friends.  Part of me knows I have no choice, being an expat and involving your kid in international activities means contact with people that are just temporarily here.  It's something I just have to accept.  I have to remember the fun we had and be sure to stay in contact, who knows where we'll all end up in the future.  So, I guess, it's good bye & good luck, and until the next time.