Was I even there?

Yesterday, while watching the track and field events going on at the Olympics, the commentator was talking about the East African runners including a Sudanese guy running for the U.S. and I literally had this feeling/thought of 'I can't believe I actually LIVED there!' It's like I have to pinch myself and remember that that was really a part of MY life. Does that ever happen to you?
When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time dreaming of living abroad again. I remember my senior year when I took a class trip to Belize. It reminded me so much of being back in Liberia. The hibiscus flowers everywhere. Being close to the ocean. The beautiful interior of the country. I knew even then that come hell or high water, I would spend more time outside of the U.S.
Back in January, I was talking to a friend who was saying I must be so proud of all that I have done (in terms of traveling and living abroad, etc.) and at the time I brushed it off because I always think of what I want to do next, or what I should be doing better that I never take the time off to really think of my experiences with some overwhelming sense of pride. So my experience last night of just stopping for a very brief moment and thinking about my own experiences with a little since of awe was a new one to say the least. What makes all of this even more interesting for me is that the urgency of living abroad that I had when I was younger, definitely isn't there anymore. This isn't to say that I wouldn't do it again, it's just that now the end goal isn't just physically being somewhere else. These days, I'm much more interested in doing work that I'm passionate about, being around loved ones, enjoying my day-to-day life and less concerned about where it happens.