Last week a few classmates and I exchanged numbers and casually mentioned having lunch sometime soon. We made good on it and had a lovely lunch today. It felt so good to finally have some sort of social life outside of Hubs and Hershey.
By nature, I'm an introverted person and although surprising, I haven't always been that way. Probably from my childhood til my early twenties I was a social butterfly. My relatives have said that I was a 'wild child', always getting into some sort of trouble. I loved being the life of the party. In college, my weekends were spent at clubs, drinking, dancing with friends and meeting new acquaintances. I even met my first serious boyfriend at a club and that lasted three years. Fast forward to today and it's a complete 180. I can't stand the taste of any alcohol, beer or wine, and I hate crowds. Go figure!
With that said, it takes an awfully LONG time for me to warm up to people. Many would say that their first impression of me is that I'm reserved and extremely shy. I'm more of an observer. To move to a country where the locals aren't exactly open to foreigners doesn't bode well for anyone- it's even harder for those like me. I am grateful for days like today, where it gives me a sense of belonging and normality. Having lunch with classmates is another thing to look forward to on a weekly basis. Slowly, but steadily, I'm putting down more roots where I now call home.