"You have the opportunity to do whatever you'd like, even if it's a hobby that you've always wanted to learn and never had the time for..."
I've heard this on several occasions now and even my new general practitioner has said this to me. Living day to day in a new environment and culture is incredibly stressful. It is both emotionally and physically straining. And yes, I have said it before in a few posts, but can't help but think that it's really not getting through to some people in our lives. Like we are living some sort of glamorous life.
Recently, someone near and dear to us, confessed that they've never read a single blog post of mine. That a was blow and it hurt like hell. So it's people like that, that get the impression that we lead a easy and carefree life here. Well, I hate to burst your bubble- it's not! If one more person tells me "oh, it looks like all you do is travel and frolic around town" or "just go to a bar and meet some locals" I'll want to bash their face in! But there are always going to be people who you try to explain this to, until you're blue in the face, and they will still have no freaking clue. I think expat life is just one of those things that you have to personally go through to truly understand the huge undertaking that it is and has been. It's definitely not for everyone and you learn really quickly if this is how you want to spend the rest of your life (jumping from one place to another every few years).
As I continue to adjust, many ideas have floated around to truly immerse myself into hobbies that I've always want to learn or relearn. In the coming months, I will be looking into courses in those areas of interest and will be blogging about them in the near future. It's given me a sense of hope and belonging. Even if there are days that I just want give up, I am excited of where this next chapter of my life is taking me. I have another chance...