The Growing Pains: Adjusting to Living Abroad

Yeah, the weather's nice but it’s not going to last long. That’s what most Londoners I’ve spoken to this week have said. It’s going to be raining and all dreary and cold and windy. Make the most of the nice weather now. 

The honeymoon phase is that transition period between home and abroad where everything feels good. It’s the novelty of a new place before the shine wears off. Sure, there might be some let-downs or surprises along the way, but it’s all so very sweet and new. 

My honeymoon in London is coinciding with the last bits of summer. As I sit in class, the leaves are starting to turn from luscious green to deep orange. The sun cuts across the crisp breeze as I enjoy the outdoors. And the best part? I’ve been able to leave my umbrella at home sometimes while adventuring London. 

One of London's rare sunny days at Kew Gardens

In between the perfect days of summer, there have been the trademark gray days and downpours. Just as there have been changes in the weather, I sense cracks in my honeymoon. It’s not homesickness nor sadness, but rather moments of growing pains.

For the past weeks, my grocery trips consisted of me circling the aisles and awkwardly blocking shelves trying to find basics like pasta and fruit, things that I have a solid roadmap to at my local grocer at home. Crossing the street is comparable to playing Crossy Road as I adjust to cars being on the left side of the road and bicycles rolling fast through the streets. 

I like my routines, which have both changed and stayed the same. Something that is the same: my morning cup of tea, served with a squeeze of honey and a couple of splashes of milk. Something that is not the same: my homework routine, altered to accommodate exploring a big city. I am becoming flexible, but in that flexibility, I’m figuring out what needs to stay the same.

Learning a new routine, which can be exhilarating, is definitely a process requiring more time than I imagined. I never realized how much relies on the stability of going through the motions, like a commute to class or knowing that Tuesday is laundry day. After almost two weeks, I figured out the basics of the Underground, but the bus is still a novelty. As for laundry, that will just remain at the whims of my procrastination. 

I am 4,000 miles away from home, but it is still included in my London life—evening Facetimes with my parents, texting my friends when I encounter something they’d love, and even spotting a Texan flag not too far from a castle (Texan pride really has no limits). 

I might have moved countries, but I am still the same person. My core values and lifelong curiosity traveled alongside me, but the changes I’m experiencing and will still encounter are a good thing. After all, strength does not develop without a bit of soreness, just as the rare sunny days come after the rain.