I
am pretty sure that this with time will become my new catch fraze,
but it is borderline scary how time seem to be flying these days.
Because when I am looking back on the time that I have been living
here in Peru as an expat, it doesnt feel at all like 3,5 years but
its being comfirmed by just a glance on the calender. I arrived here
around July 2016 and we are now are about to turn the page on
February 2020. So yes, time has flown fast and I have to say that it
feels like yesterday that I walked down the bridge to the awaiting
Boeing 747 at the international airport in Manila. Something like 70
hours later I walked out of custom in Lima to meet my awaiting family
completely exausted. For once, I didnt get much sleep.
Hmm,
3,5 years has passed, but to be honest it hasnt been just one long
joyride either. Actually, it has at times been far from a joyride.
The truth is that, the life of an expat can be at times be hard in
ways that non-expats doesnt seem to be going through or maybe it has
just been me? I am not going to start complaining about how hard life
is or how bumpy the ride has been, not at all. The thing is that for
me, it has had its many ups and it has had its few downs. For the
most part, this has been one hell of a ride to be honest and I
wouldnt have wanted to not avoid experiencing any of it. I would say
that most of my negative experiences so far has come from the fact
that I was ill-prepared from the get to and for good reasons too.
Looks
like my post has gotten of to a bumpy start, but the truth is simple.
Yes, I did struggle with the language in the beginning, I had some
issues adopting and there were some relationship problems, but its
nothing I shouldnt have been expecting. The visa problem on the other
hand, thats a hole different story. At the same time, when I look
back on these 3,5 years living as an expat here in Peru, there are
just one thing that pops to mind and this is that it has been one
amazing adventure so far. So far, I have had the great pleasure of
experiencing most aspects of life here and I can only wonder on whats
in store for me in the future. One thing seems to be sure and this is
the fact that it looks like there are huge changes in all our lives.
When
it comes to the changes that I am talking about, its not something I
will be going into super depth on, but there is a wedding in the near
future and maybe a family expansion as well, who knows right? The
thing is that through these 3,5 years, I have slowly but surely
settled in. Started to get more used to talk Spanish, adopted more
into the local culture and things even settled more when it comes to
my relationship. On top of everything, work and work related things
seems to really just be going one way and that is up. Who can really
complain about anything when things are going as good as they do
right now? Sure, things can take a turn for the worse in the future,
but that is something you do your very best to prepare for no matter
where you are living.
So
when I look back at these 3,5 years, for the most part I see good
things and it has been a ride that I never could have dreamt up in my
wildest dreams. That is why I am always saying, if you are carrying
on a dream to throw yourself into the life as an expat, do it. The
only advice I can say is that learn from my many mistakes and be
better prepared. Start to learn the language before setting out on
the adventure, make sure you have a job to come to and work on a
local network on friends. All of these things are extremely important
for both your short and long term happiness. At the same time, I
wouldnt have wanted to miss out on any of my experiences, its what
has made my expat life what it is today.
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