One of the lessons of living in a foreign country for me has been the realization that it doesn't have to be as hard as I make it. As a student here, I've always looked at my time in Russia as temporary, and therefore have been dissuaded from investing in things that go under the topic real life in my head. You can probably guess the majority of these things like furniture, household appliances, etc. But many of the things that I'm realizing are subconsciously on the list really don't belong there (and really I don't know how much longer I can temporarily live without totally losing it).
Example: One day this week I was wishing I didn't have to cook dinner every day, and thinking about how in America we sometimes save food in ziplock bags...then I realized they have those here too. So this week I've been feasting on leftovers, and loving it.
Another example: I've been wanting to play tennis ever since I came here. I'm so terrible, but I still just love the game (side-note about tennis: no matter how great you are at the sport, you never look good chasing a stray tennis ball). The only problem is that most courts here are SUPER expensive, so I just gave up trying to play a long time ago. That is, until my friend Artur took 5 minutes to look into it this last week. He found a relatively cheap place, and we went. Sometimes all it takes is just deciding you're going to do something, and then following through. Or in this case, all it takes is someone else deciding you're going to do it. Peer pressure, it makes the world go 'round. And you know what? It was such a blast!
Don't get me wrong, sometimes life in Russia is exactly as frustrating as I make it, possibly more (Tuesday was tough, but that's for another post). But I think it's appropriate that on the longest day of the year I try to fit some little pleasantries in. It's all about squeezing the juicy moments out of the pulp of life. Speaking of which, I really want some juice now.
Example: One day this week I was wishing I didn't have to cook dinner every day, and thinking about how in America we sometimes save food in ziplock bags...then I realized they have those here too. So this week I've been feasting on leftovers, and loving it.
Another example: I've been wanting to play tennis ever since I came here. I'm so terrible, but I still just love the game (side-note about tennis: no matter how great you are at the sport, you never look good chasing a stray tennis ball). The only problem is that most courts here are SUPER expensive, so I just gave up trying to play a long time ago. That is, until my friend Artur took 5 minutes to look into it this last week. He found a relatively cheap place, and we went. Sometimes all it takes is just deciding you're going to do something, and then following through. Or in this case, all it takes is someone else deciding you're going to do it. Peer pressure, it makes the world go 'round. And you know what? It was such a blast!
Don't get me wrong, sometimes life in Russia is exactly as frustrating as I make it, possibly more (Tuesday was tough, but that's for another post). But I think it's appropriate that on the longest day of the year I try to fit some little pleasantries in. It's all about squeezing the juicy moments out of the pulp of life. Speaking of which, I really want some juice now.
You drink that juice, Bryce! Drink it because you've earned it. I actually had a similar experience when I first started college. It took me several months to remember, "Hey, I love playing tennis," and actually get out to play. And there are always things that I think I can't do because I have kids, until I actually try it (and often fail miserably, with all of us left weeping and kicking on the floor...yes, all of us). But I think your message is applicable to everyone. You just gotta juice it.
ReplyDeleteI can totally sympathize with things not working out despite our best efforts. I've tried to go to this one museum twice already, both times it was closed. It's so hard to not just give up.
DeleteI've had experiences with museums like that, too. And then when I finally get there, I'm usually disappointed. Turns out awesome museums are open more.
ReplyDelete