"When I’m feeling down—or otherwise out of sorts in Spain—I don’t want to revert to opening my phone and finding Los Angeles-based comfort in a post about something from my pre-Spain life. I just don’t think it’s healthy. It’s not progress. And it contributes to defeating a large part of the point of moving in the first place." I'm reminded of my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova during the early '90s. We didn't have easy access to iPhones or the internet back then. So, when I felt down or out of sorts with Moldova, I took this as a sign I needed to get out of my head and engage! I understand this might not be an approach for everyone but for me to be involved with my new community was crucial, and was easy to do since I found the sense of community much stronger in Moldova than in the U.S. I'd go out for a walk and always found someone ready for a chat, or join kids in a local soccer game; or talk to the wonderfully, eccentric lady in the local bread store, or visit my always welcoming neighbors, or join friends in harvesting their tomatoes or help stomp grapes for wine. The point, for me, was to engage, get involved in my community with the upside being my language (Romanian) improved, my down days coming from feeling like a total outsider lessened, and more importantly my relationships with the terrific, endlessly interesting and compassionate people of my new 'home' solidified (and we are all still fast friends today thanks to I know, I know...FB, although we do call from time to time). I will be following the same approach when I make my move to Spain in March of next year. In fact, I've already started. While in Spain this past June/July I made contact with volunteers for a local animal shelter in Madrid. Just like here in the states, they were outside a department store in the Puerta del Sol running an adoption event. I spent time with them, played with the dogs, worked on my Spanish and made a few new friends. I am looking forward to finding new ways to engage with my new community once I move to Spain, one of them being to volunteer at the local animal shelter in Madrid. In other words: I plan to engage.....
So well said. Exactly. It's about engagement, not disengagement, even though the latter can relieve anxiety, it's not effective beyond an immediate "I want to stop feeling this way" fix.
"When I’m feeling down—or otherwise out of sorts in Spain—I don’t want to revert to opening my phone and finding Los Angeles-based comfort in a post about something from my pre-Spain life. I just don’t think it’s healthy. It’s not progress. And it contributes to defeating a large part of the point of moving in the first place." I'm reminded of my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova during the early '90s. We didn't have easy access to iPhones or the internet back then. So, when I felt down or out of sorts with Moldova, I took this as a sign I needed to get out of my head and engage! I understand this might not be an approach for everyone but for me to be involved with my new community was crucial, and was easy to do since I found the sense of community much stronger in Moldova than in the U.S. I'd go out for a walk and always found someone ready for a chat, or join kids in a local soccer game; or talk to the wonderfully, eccentric lady in the local bread store, or visit my always welcoming neighbors, or join friends in harvesting their tomatoes or help stomp grapes for wine. The point, for me, was to engage, get involved in my community with the upside being my language (Romanian) improved, my down days coming from feeling like a total outsider lessened, and more importantly my relationships with the terrific, endlessly interesting and compassionate people of my new 'home' solidified (and we are all still fast friends today thanks to I know, I know...FB, although we do call from time to time). I will be following the same approach when I make my move to Spain in March of next year. In fact, I've already started. While in Spain this past June/July I made contact with volunteers for a local animal shelter in Madrid. Just like here in the states, they were outside a department store in the Puerta del Sol running an adoption event. I spent time with them, played with the dogs, worked on my Spanish and made a few new friends. I am looking forward to finding new ways to engage with my new community once I move to Spain, one of them being to volunteer at the local animal shelter in Madrid. In other words: I plan to engage.....
So well said. Exactly. It's about engagement, not disengagement, even though the latter can relieve anxiety, it's not effective beyond an immediate "I want to stop feeling this way" fix.
Have you switched your phone to Spanish yet? ¿Ya has cambiado tu teléfono al español?
Si. Ya he cambiado mi móvil a español. A veces me confundo, pero me ha sido útil. Cada día es más fácil.