Last night I ordered canned pumpkin on Amazon.de. My favorite thing to do this time of year is to make large vats of soup and spend time with friends and family as the days grow colder. So far, this journey of moving abroad has been a complete rollercoaster. It's exciting and wonderful but also frustrating and lonely.
I wake up and immediately want to text my friends or tell them something funny that happened. I want to call my Mom and tell her about how stressed I am. But I have to wait until at least 2pm since they won't be awake yet.
I don't want to sound ungrateful or like I'm complaining. Of course, things are incredible and I'm having a blast. But some things are much more difficult. I don't have a car, for one. We went to Bauhaus (Home Depot for Germany) and buy wood to make our bed frame. We carry it on the tram and walk half a mile back to our place so Michael can construct a bed. It's very different from a typical home improvement run in Dallas or Nashville.
I'm also still learning the customs and culture. I still have to remind myself that everything is closed on Sundays, that if I call America it will cost me money, and that if I spill water on my Macbook I have to go to France to get it fixed.
But the hardest thing for me is seeing what's going on with my friends at home and missing out. I am missing events and weddings and celebrations. I also feel like some of the relationships I do have will be strained. Some friends haven't reached out at all. I have to remind myself that they also have their own life. That they can't possibly remember to check in on me, that they probably don't realize what a strain this is on me. And that in this day and age an Instagram like equals a “hello” rather than a text or call.
I'm trying to keep in touch with family and friends, but it can be difficult, especially with international calling. There is an app that is the perfect solution for all of this. It's called Bond.co and it lets you send personalized, handwritten notes from your phone or computer. The thing that I love about this is that it takes a small amount of time and lets someone know that you care about them. It's a gesture I know they appreciate.
As Nas (yes, the rapper uses Bond) says, “Bond is bringing together the power of the written word and technology.”
What I love about Bond is that you can create your own stationery, all inside the app.
Here's why I really love it:
It reminds you to send notes
It helps you stay in touch with family and friends
It helps you stay relevant to businesses and colleagues
It sends a tangible message to family and friends on stationery you create
You can add your own photos, I added a photo of the castle in Heidelberg to a postcard I sent my Mom
Bond is a free app, but if you'd like to send personalized post cards it's just $5 per month. Which, if you were to go out, buy a postcard, stamp it, and then mail it, it would cost almost the same. But instead, this takes out the time and hassle and is even more customized. This is truly innovative and easy to use, I think they are starting a great way to stay in touch. And who doesn't like receiving mail?!
I suggest downloading Bond.co and giving it a try!
Just a reminder that if you are thinking about someone or something big happened in someone's life… tell them! I have written many posts about this, and I can tell you, just saying something, anything, can make a huge difference.
Thank you to Bond.co for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.
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