Adaptation

How did I adjust and re-adapt?

I got home sick quite frequently particularly missing my mother but ironically, I also took pleasure in being away from home. It was a relief from social obligations. Luckily, I had the greatest chance to do a lot of growing up on my own. It's good to learn the hard way sometimes. I somehow felt liberated too; the idea of owning my time was quite overwhelming in a good way because being in the ME, every one owns my time and space. I'm convinced I never have time for myself over here. I love being around my people but I also miss having my own space and time and doing things as I wish and like.

I suppose I strive to re-adapt in the ME for various reasons. It's hard to escape social obligations, respect social protocols, meet society's expectations and to a great extent family's expectations. Even friends here are more demanding! Everyone's reality is different. Of course, with the bad comes the good. There's comfort and security at home that I never found when I was overseas.

As a workingwoman, the US or UK was a lot harder for me; not work but the lifestyle. Coming back to an empty apartment wasn't easy. Eating dinner on my own was actually quite depressing. Nevertheless, the best years of my life were certainly as a student in the US and later in the UK, I had a good fair of ups and downs (ups being good times with friends, downs just missing home and re-exploring myself so fast). It's too complicated to sum up in one blog post.