Arriving...

Arriving in a country in which you choose to live is far more than physically arriving. It is also a mental arrival that needs to take place. I thought I was well prepared for my time abroad. I spent nearly three weeks in preparation seminars. We were told about culture shock and we got to reflect a lot on our motives, fears and expectations of our international voluntary service. However, I had to quickly realize that things were not always going ‘by the book’. Having been to Italy and Spain, coming to Argentina was not that a big shock, culture wise. Despite the language barrier, as I had overestimated my Spanish skills, I felt comfortable quite quickly. I enjoyed my work and got to know people quite quickly. Nevertheless, I did not feel quite at home yet and it took me several weeks to settle in.  

It was when I realized that I had started posting/sharing messages in Spanish on Facebook that I became conscious that I felt like I had finally arrived in Argentina. This happened about two months into my voluntary work. Looking back at that point of time now I realized that it was when I managed to ‘let go’ of my life back home in Europe that I was actually able to mentally arrive as well. It was when I told myself that my life was here now and that I had to make the most of it and enjoy my year here otherwise I would regret it after my return that I finally arrived. And it was the best decision ever. I started to really get to know people, when I really engaged with them because in my thoughts I was not back home in Europe, I was not thinking ‘oh why bother too much, soon you’ll be back and most likely you won’t stay in touch anyway’. My experiences since then have been very enriching. I learnt more about the Argentinean culture, specific expressions not used anywhere else in the world, about its people and the way people think here. But I also learnt more about myself. I discovered new sides of myself and new interests. I developed as a person in a way I would have never imagined beforehand...and I still have most of my year still ahead of me.

So my advice to anyone going to live abroad is to live the experiences you make to their fullest and enjoy them as much as you can. Do not stay stuck and focused on home, live in the moment and take back all those beautiful memories you make. You will grow as a person, and home will still be there when you get back.