Everything is new to me here. Even though I've visited here for 10 to 14 days at a time over the last 10 years at least, it's mostly been around holidays, when days were filled with family dinners, Christmas services, taking a break, and festive cheer. It's a lot different when it's a string of "ordinary" days, with errands to do, tasks to complete, and a life to build. And it's been hard. Everything is a bit more of a challenge. I need to get used to stores closing for lunch and planning errands accordingly; how the school systems work (classes start tomorrow, by the way); names of streets and how to get places; new products staring me in the face at the grocery store; familiarizing myself better with the currency (so I can grab a one euro coin more quickly rather than having to sift around the whole lot); how banking/money works (they don't use checks; credit cards are instead linked to a bank account, from which they pull the full amount due); etc., etc. And all in a language that I haven't regularly used since...um, ever. I've been finding that even the mundane tasks are challenging. I don't know exactly where to go or what to say or how to say it. I have to think about how I would tell the gym that I haven't received my membership card yet. It's not that I can't, but I just have to make that extra step of thinking about it beforehand. I have to think more about what I want to say and how. I have to listen more closely, read more slowly. It's actually been quite discouraging. I feel lost and like I'm not good at anything. I make tons of mistakes every day. Am I doing this right? Am I doing that wrong?
I have to change my perspective, though. It's all about perspective. I need to take this on as the adventure that it is. Everything is new! Everything is exciting! It's fun and exciting to do even mundane tasks, things I might have deplored to do in Washington. When I go buy shampoo, how much will it cost? What kind will be available? How fast can I pull out the currency? What kind of small talk can I make with the cashier? And that's just a minor thing in this new life. Bigger things and bigger tasks would beget even bigger rewards. So, I need to enjoy being "lost," enjoy the sense of discovery, enjoy learning and growing, find joy in the mundane, take the challenges head on. Perspective. It's all about perspective.
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2 comments:
That's the spirit! The good news first of all is that it only gets better with time and secondly, you don't have to touch another penny for a while. Pounds have more utility. I hope you have a great day at school and thanks for the kind voice mail. M
Hi Juls! Great to follow your escapades on the blog! Hang in there. As someone once said, and I'm paraphrasing, every great achievement begins with a small step. To go forward, you just have to place one foot in front of the other! Don't second guess but keep going forward! Just remember, you are success-bound, so enjoy the journey and keep creating those wonderful memories that will surely bring a smile, if not bouts of laughter, when you look back on them!! Wishing you the very best! E
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