Long time, no see. I know, I am guilty when it comes to slacking. It is funny because I think about posting often but other things seem to take priority over blogging. If it makes you feel any better though, things have been pretty calm since the last time I posted. I have my ups and downs. It has taken a little while but the cultural differences and homesickness has starting to rear its ugly head.
Cultural Differences
I realize now that I have lived my life in a shell. I do what I'm told and stay away from what I'm supposed to... for the most part. My mother is a loner, so I am a loner. I was fine with that until I got here and realized that everyone is not like me. It took some time to adjust to just how many people could be in my flat at any given time. If six girls wasn't enough, add their friends. At first I hated it. I couldn't figure out why they had to be together all the time and in our flat. I would go in my room and lay in the bed until everyone left. As weeks went by I came to the conclusion that it was not as bad as I thought it was. I have accepted it as a norm for it to be 1-3 people extra in our flat. In fact, it seems lonely if the crew is not there. I had to give credit to my flatmates though, they take the whole flat into consideration when it comes to guests. Sometimes they cook in our flat and other times they cook somewhere else. That is more than fair.
The pastime around here is going out. Whether going to bars or clubs, people forget all their problems on Thursday night. As I mentioned before, I wondered if I would hit every bar and club when I got here. I don't like it. My flatmates have to drag me out of the flat just for dinner and a movie.
Homesickness
It creeps up on you before you know it. In fact, you write it off as something else because you don't want to admit that you are missing home. I talk to my mother everyday and my father every week (he's macho). However when I am homesick I'm irritated to point that I am short and I rush my mother off the phone. I get jealous when people tell me about the babies and all the developments they are making. I'm angry because I should be witnessing that firsthand, not stealing glances from a bad quality skyping sessions. It is a constant struggle between wanting to have my cake and eat it too.
If it is a rough day, I most likely won't leave the house. I stay in and look at Facebook constantly. The only problem with that is at home its around 4 am and absolutely nothing is going on. I read a book or spend 5 hours watching a 2 hour movie because the internet connection is so bad. I open the window so I can receive my fresh air for the day. It is hard for me to say things because I wish so badly that everyday could be sunshine and happiness. I love it here, its just that sometimes I want to be in my own country, in my own state, in my own city, in my own house, in my own bed. Oh, how I miss that bed.
Sometimes I feel so sorry for my roommates. At the beginning they invited me every time they went out. And my answer was always no. People only accept rejection so many times before they give up. Now, I will notice how sometimes they leave for the night and I hear nothing about it. Then I think to myself "hey, why didn't they invite me?" ...because the answer was going to be no. After talking to my mother and talking to my roommates I realize that I need to go out more. Going our does not mean that I am getting sloppy drunk or bumping bodies in the club. However, I did not come this far from home to just sit in a room all day. So I have made a promise to myself that I will get out at least once a week. Starting tomorrow, I am going "hiking."
No comments:
Post a Comment