It’s been a busy week. Last week we went to three going-away parties, a birthday party, and a wine-and-cheese reception. I also went back to yoga for the first time in months, and went to meditation practice. Jorge and I went to the weekly softball game and hung out with the kids playing duck-duck-goose. It was a nice week.

Yesterday we went back to the Hash after a long absence, the running group we’ve been going to since we first arrived. Milo weighs 22 pounds now, so he’s a bit heavy for me to lug around in a sling or front-carrier. A friend (who recently had triplets!) loaned us a baby backpack, and Milo loooooved it. He giggled and cooed through the whole walk, charming everyone.

So many of our friends are leaving, and it’s very sad. On Saturday I spent the morning at my friend Christine’s house, on her last day. Today I am going to lunch with my friend Ann at the Sanctuary, a new, beautiful restaurant in Lilongwe. Tomorrow Ann flies to Uganda for a new position. (She is the one who has been teaching me to meditate, by the way. Very important skill for a new mother.)

One of the nicest things about living overseas is how quickly you develop meaningful friendships. I lived in New Orleans for almost 6 years, and had very few friends to show for it (it didn’t help that I met Jorge just two months after I arrived, and was quickly co-opted into his life, rather than establishing myself on my own.)

It seems so difficult to make friends in America – everyone already seems to have their social circle, and they don’t tend to have vacancies. Whereas in Africa, there’s a new lonely expat arriving all the time, just waiting to be befriended. And even better – they tend to have the same interests as me. People who can discuss Khadafi, cholera, and community development…and then turn around and talk books or travel or movies. Just the idea of ever moving back to the U.S. makes me lonely.