Disneyland Paris 2

Adjusting to being in such a new place, for me, has actually been a pretty tricky business. Moving out and moving on is a challenge that everyone must face, and I guess, until about now, I've been finding it a lot harder than I expected. I'm not sure why it was so difficult, but it was. Don't worry, I'm not going to be all mopey and self-pitying, but I will say that I'm glad that I stuck it out.

True, it was hard to be so far from my family, especially when told stories of family meal times and bickering (that I still miss more than anything). It was hard to see so many facebook updates about crazy freshers evenings my friends were having and all the fab new friends they'd made and been in photos with, especially when I was sitting alone in my shared bedroom with dodgy internet, feeling that my pitiful linguistic skills were stopping me from having ANY of those moments. It was hard to start working at a new restaurant, especially when nobody else there really spoke any English and everything was so different to back home at little old Grills and Greens with the regulars and the 30 or so tables.

But actually, I'm now thinking how lucky I am to be in the position I am in. Thank you so much to all of the virtual shoulders I have been given to cry on (specifically you C, J & A) and the real ones from my friends here who have supported me in excepting what seemed like such a massive change. An extra special mention goes to C - whose blog post about a pretty similar thing really inspired me yesterday. It's here if you want to read it.

"Of course ‘work hard, play hard’ is the cliché I could drop in here, but I think the experience you have depends heavily on what you, and only you input into the huge life style change. If you sit in your room and lock yourself away, then you probably will feel homesick and isolated. It’s amazing what just propping your door open can do."

This part sort of brought things into focus for me. Being miserable and mopey won't make me any more cheerful. Grumbling about what I was missing at home would only make me miss out on what there is on offer here. I know it sounds obvious.. But having sorted that out in my head, things are looking much brighter. I have some lovely new friends, some who I know I will keep in contact with regardless of which country we're in. The flat is looking really nice - I bought a colourful clock and Riikka moved in and brought with her wine and beer. Work is actually really cool - I love the outfit, the dancing, the rollerskates and the people. PLUS my Birthday is in 3 days, my family have sent me packages and I'm seeing them all soon. Yes. Life is good.

Today I got a cup of coffee and just sat at the gare. Just sat. And looked. And lived.

Life is good.