Sunday 29 December 2013

The Truth About Culture Shock

When Mark said that he'd gotten the job in Singapore I was pretty ambivalent. It was just coming to the end of our Indian Summer and I was looking forward to Autumn and Winter. We were hoping to buy a home in 2014 and I knew the areas we were going to look in, I knew costs, and if was decluttering in the run up. Of course I knew it was an amazing opportunity, but I'm not really all that adventurous by nature.
Fast forward to the first month here and I was not very happy.....but I'd read this is the honeymoon period. I was not only not liking it in Singapore, but I was worried as this was the time I was supposed to be loving it...
One measly month later and it's all change. Once I'd learned how to use the MRT I could get about, I knew more people, had spoken to them and got invited out. We'd gotten our own belongings delivered and it was more homely, Daisy and I could go on walks, I knew my way around where we lived and I was finally able to orientate myself around parts of the city.
I was naive to believe there was a prescribed sort of culture shock, I don't think it helped at all. I am much more open to understanding that if you don't get out you won't see people. If you never leave the house of course you get bored. Singapore was never bad-being cooped up in half a square mile is bad, that's what's boring! This, although super obvious, became a bit of a revelation and I am so joyful that finally it did.

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