Dealing with death while abroad

I knew it was coming at some point. Ever after packing my bags, even in preparation before departure, I knew that eventually I too would get that dreaded phone call from the old homeland informing me a family member had passed away, or is about to. After all, one of the few certainties in life is that none of us will make it out alive anyway. To prepare, a travel book I once read recommended me to create a list of what to do when that moment would arrive. With all the added emotion and maybe even pressure from people to fly back instantly it’s better to allow yourself the luxury of being prepared as best as you can be. Because when (not if) it happens, there will be plenty of unforeseen things to deal with anyway – even if it was just the emotional side of things.
For me, the long expected “phone call” came in the form of an unexpected text message. I read it while having my morning coffee at 6am earlier this week. After being ill for some time, my grandfather (“opa“, in Dutch) has pas…
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