I began this blog with the intention of documenting my new chapter in my life--moving and living in Europe, and including things I am comfortable sharing with the Internet. That includes fashion, food, travel, and thoughts. So I suppose I should begin by including that life sometimes gets in the way. Sometimes life doesn't exactly work out the way I had hoped, I planned for it to occur, and it takes me by surprise by how the ultimate chapter played out. And since I am human and not a robot, trying to understand sometimes unfortunate circumstances can cause a miniature lapse in one's life--whether emotionally, mentally, socially, or even spiritually. Comprehending life's events is not something I have mastered, nor do I think I will ever reach that point, but prompting some questions that I must painfully reflect on is something that I must do, even when avoiding it becomes more visceral when it does happen. I'm sure everyone can relate to a time, or a few times, when life just threw you a curveball and you're thinking, how and why? You're puzzled, you're upset, and you're irritated, because that's not how you thought that it was going to turn out. And that's ok. Life indeed is unpredictable and that does certainly add to its magic, charm, and enigma, but it can also be frustrating as well. So taking some time off to think, to reflect, to remember, and move forward is a very good thing. Grant yourself patience and gentleness to really let it go and go forward in life. Plus, having Taylor Swift's 1989 on repeat is helpful in that process.
I've settled nicely in my life in Romania, but that doesn't come without its struggles. Perhaps the biggest, or the biggest ones, is the cultural differences. One of these being language. It's frustrating sometimes having to think in English, then speak in Romanian, butcher the sentence and grammar, then somehow save your words in a carefully sculpted sentence. I feel lost in translation sometimes. People do understand and speak English here, but it doesn't compare to speaking English freely in an English-speaking country. Then, as you look closer, the differences between Eastern Europe and Canada are so vastly different, that you try to assimilate both so that you don't go insane but you also don't forget the upbringing. The way people think, how they act, how they speak, how they dress, how they treat people, and how they see things is entirely different than with what I was brought up. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; however, there are always pros and cons, certain things that I grapple with and struggle to accept. Living in a country different than what I was brought up in has its own challenges, but I imagine it's a little harder when it's a culture that you were aware growing up but never accepted. There are things that I miss people did in America, the societal norms that were accepted warmly, and how people interacted. On the other hand, there are things in Romania that I wouldn't necessarily trade and value, appreciate, and cherish being here. In this long and congested paragraph, I am really communicating that living in a different country for a period of my life is an overwhelming enriching experience. You learn new customs, you develop a new language, you learn new things about yourself that you wouldn't have found otherwise, and you learn new tools when you're stripped of the comfort of your previous home life. It's definitely challenging and exhaustingly aggravating at times, but it is so enriching. I wholly recommend to anyone to spend considerable time abroad in a different country, in a different culture, and in a different part of the world. Do it. You will feel all the range of emotions you possess, but it is truly something you will not regret.
On a brighter note, now that it's December, it is no longer shameful to put up Christmas decorations and wholly immerse myself in all things Christmas. Hot chocolate, lovely stringy lights hung up in my room, tinsel strung along my curtains...In other Christmas-y news, Oradea put up its Christmas lights in town and it is a beautiful sight to behold. The lights make me so happy; it elicits warm fuzzy feelings. My friends and I decided to venture through these decorations in the cold and pouring rain, and while it was entirely spontaneous, I would not have minded in the rain was exchanged for fresh powdery snow. This creates a bubbly sense of excitement because I'm eagerly awaiting the new year, the joys and pains that it will invariably bring, but also the adventures that I will embark on in 2015. So, December, you sneaked up rather quickly on me, but the last month of 2014, the last moments in this year will be wasted carefully.
