My daughter is in Germany, thousands of miles from family and friends, in a country whose language she has only begun to learn.

I set the expectation that she would have a semester abroad, mainly because such an experience was never within the realm of possibility for me. I wanted her to have an experience that I had always heard was often life-changing.

What I didn’t consider was how challenging it might be and how brave Darling Daughter was to take on that challenge.

Don’t get me wrong. DD loves the city, its culture, and the opportunity to learn German where it’s spoken. But at the same time, it’s become clear that she desperately misses her family, friends, and even Rosa, our extremely whiny half-Siamese cat.

I miss knowing she’s a mere hour and a half drive away, where I can swoop in and rescue her whenever necessary.

It doesn’t matter that it’s never been necessary.

Added to this is the fact that Darling Daughter is on a budget, and the rest of the kids in her program are, well, not. Finding a way to deal with this discrepancy has been another lesson she’s been forced to learn.

She needs a hug, and you can’t hug using FaceTime (although I’m really grateful for that kind of technology).

All I can do is listen and spout Mom-isms.

Make sure you eat properly.
Get a good night’s sleep — things will be better in the morning.
Decide what’s most important to spend your money on.
Take a deep breath and then another. It will be okay.

And lastly,
Have a cup of tea.

A cup of tea has long been the traditional means of dealing with problems in our household. There is comfort to be found in the ritual of boiling the water, heating the pot, steeping the teabags, pouring the tea into a favorite mug, and then drinking the warm, familiar beverage. Or perhaps it’s merely taking a few minutes to do something other than dwelling on your troubles.

So, my Darling Daughter, perhaps this reminder will help: Be brave, and drink tea.

I’ll do the same and think of you.

Love, Mum