Friday 28 October 2011

El primer mes

Since I've now been here for a month, I've been thinking lots about how my life has changed since I left Scotland. Clearly, it's changed in that I've moved to a new country, started a new job, lived with two total strangers, moved into a new flat, met lots of people and started talking another language on a regular basis, but I've also changed. In the space of these last few weeks, I've realised that I'm a lot more capable and adaptable than I thought I was.
To let you understand, the name of this blog doesn't only include the word 'trepidation' for the fun of the alliteration - I really thought that I was going to feel nervous or stressed about various aspects of this whole experience. But it's not been like that at all.  
Something seems to have clicked over the past month and I've realised that I just need to get out there and do things, as nothing is as bad as I imagine it's going to be. I've known this all along, but I still used to think:  'I don't know how to say this in correct Spanish, so I'm just not going to say it.'  Now I tell myself: 'no-one has died because I've got a word or structure mixed up, I'm going to try to put my point across.' I also used to panic at the thought of being in a strange place, but now I've been lost so many times that I know I always find my way back to where I want to be. I think my brain is reprogramming itself to a more confident, optimistic setting.  Nothing is phasing me and it's fantastic.
Who says you have to be at uni to learn valuable lessons?

Our doubts are traitors and they make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
Shakespeare


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