To The Girl I Was Three Years Ago
a letter to my younger self
Hi friends—the essay below is a letter to the self I was before I moved overseas three years ago, and is a more personal follow-up to last Thursday’s post on what I’ve learned from expat life. If you enjoy my more lyrical writing, check out this meditation on time and this poem about the fear of losing home (both of which, like this essay, are exclusive to paid subscribers).
Dear Sam,
How are you doing, with that pit sitting so heavy in your stomach? As you pack your apartment for your move to Cairo, you already have an inkling that you’re about to be tested. I can tell you that your inkling is right.
The next three years will feel more like thirty. I can’t quell all your fears, because some of them come true, but I can tell you that you turn out to be more of a survivor than you know. So take a deep breath. You will get through it.