Belongingness

     

photocredits to http://alkhallanonymous.com

Living in a foreign country is hard enough as it is but how long does it take to acclimatize to a new country? 

After almost two years of staying in the US, I asked myself "have I finally been able to adapt to the American culture?" I honestly feel that I am still going through the adjustment phase everyday but at the same time I feel that I'm already well adjusted. 

    When I first got here to be reunited with the love of my life, I thought...
the new culture sounds exciting and romantic! The first few months certainly felt like honeymoon and I enjoyed every bit of it. After a few months, I started asking myself "What Am I doing here?" I miss everything back home and all of a sudden i don't like America anymore. My negative feelings have real causes, for example, being stuck in the house for the whole day everyday, no friends or family close by to go out with, the people look, speak and act differently, the food taste different, and to make it sound disconcerting I can't get to a place without driving and a car. To ease my alienation, I congregated with my fellow expats. While they helped provide the sense of belongingness and a convenient forum for complaining, it doesn't really help much with integration into the local way of life.

     Then I started working. I got myself busy, I opened myself to intercultural experiences and communicated well to the people around me. At times, there were awkward moments when you don't know how to react and respond but the transition to living like an expat to a more local lifestyle takes time to get used to. I'm lucky that the people around me are friendly and understanding enough to share their thoughts and I have a husband who's very patient in explaining how things work here. I learned a lot outside my "cocoon" and I learned to accept the customs and quirks of the american way of life. 

     At the moment, I'm a stay at home wife contemplating over a career move but unlike before, I can now drive around. I may not be able to see my fellow expats as often as I want to but hanging out with my compatriots isn't bad either. At times I feel I have not adjusted very well but I think it's safe to say that it's okay to miss home, sometimes.

     I think there is no exact timeframe as to  how long one can acclimatize to a country but I also think that  moving into a new culture is the total adventure of my life. It's exciting, interesting, breathtaking, scary at times but it surely is fascinating like a roller coaster ride in disneyland.