Life could be so adventurous abroad. It could help you define doors for mental stimulation, gaining life-defining experiences and giving chances for you to acquire new languages, new skills and new ways of doing things.
Unfortunately, not all things abroad are as sweet as you normally hear. Stress, alienation, culture shock and frustrations over unfulfilled demands could be disastrous to your personal life. It is true that there are those little problems that do not amount much in the long run such as confusion at the ATM, complicated forms at Ward Office and trouble to read signs at train stations and determining train routes. However, homesickness could just lead you depression, stress, grief and maybe a panic attack.
According to an article in Kansai Scene, the adaptation process involves stages with three significant ones representing a graph with the shape of a smile. The first few months to a year would be the Honeymoon Stage, where you will be experiencing euphoria. For a student of expatriate in Japan, Japanese lifestyle may likely be more interesting and inspiring than anything you have known before. You may just feel that you have finally found a perfect atmosphere to live in, your future is brighter than ever or that everything Japanese seems so wonderful for you....at first...
The Honeymoon Stage will be followed by a pendulum swing, the Rejection Stage. This is when the negative aspects of living in a foreign culture starts to kick in. Culture differences and limited language abilities hamper your communications with the locals. The lack of familiar faces, warmth smiles and recognizable dialects could just make you miss home more. If you leave the foreign country during this stage, there is a big possibility that you won't come back again. Or if you come back, this whole cycle will start all over again.
I have been through this stage and the best help is normally found at a place you are least likely to look for it. If you are in Japan, try Karaoke with crazy friends, discover new restaurants, go for a massage, hot springs or bath house or try touring all the mosques available in different regions. Try God as it was stated ""Invoke Me and ask Me for anything, I will respond to your invocation (Ghafir:60). As for me, I am very lucky as my prayers were answered, a special guest visited me in Japan during my crucial Rejection Stage. During that two weeks time, we had a very good time visiting DisneySea, Universal Studios Japan, Karaoke-ing, cycle together to have McFlurry at a 24-hour McD, have sushi near the Kamo Gawa River and many more exciting moments unchartered here. In addition to that, I have a wonderful circle of friends here that are always on-the-go for various activities, either it is an adventurous road trip or just a simple barbeque and picnic on the river banks. All of this had accelerated my life from the Rejection Stage into the next comfortable one which is the Accomodation Stage.
The Accomodation Stage is when you have adapted to the new lifestyle. You will be able to see the situation realistically and accept the difficulties without exaggerating both plus points and negative points. Although this stage marks the end of the three stages, I believe that is is just the beginning of a genuine discovery and learning that are the greatest rewards of living abroad. Try living a true life abroad. With an open mind, you will find that it is not as hard as you thought. Best of luck!!!
1 comment:
very true indeed^^ i think rite now im at the accomodation stage..n hopefully it will stay dis way..n seriously xnk rsa lagi the rejection stage..serik tu..hee..
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