Fighting jet lag is one of the hardest things about travel. Going overseas this year was more difficult than coming home, in terms of exhaustion. I didn't sleep once I arrived in Dublin- instead, I immediately hopped a DART train out of town and spent my afternoon wandering the coastline of Howth. The exhaustion was actually painful. I hadn't slept much on the flight over, despite my best intentions and my comfy seat in business class, so I felt a bit out of sorts, loopy, like I was going to lay down on the sidewalk and just crash. By the evening, I was sick with exhaustion. So I went to bed at maybe 10 pm, hoping I would sleep through the night. Of course I woke up at about 3 am, wide awake, my body refusing to believe it was the middle of the night. This time around, coping with this was easier than it was last year. Last year, I just about had a full-on panic attack when I couldn't get back to sleep. Foreign country, foreign city, nowhere to go... This year, I just popped on a show on Netflix, had a snack, and waited it out. Fell back to sleep in no time. I think if you can get through that first night, that's the worst of it- after that, getting to sleep and, more importantly, staying asleep, is much easier.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't homesick at all during this trip, but I was much less so than I thought I'd be. I always have a bit of sadness around the 4th of July. This was my second year in a row now being overseas during the most American of holidays, so the homesickness was really strong all that week. Missing out on the fireworks, the family cookouts, the warm summer day to relax and visit with friends and wear ridiculously American outfits. It always makes me sad. But that was it. Other than that, I didn't miss home. I have a stuffed animal that goes with me everywhere, so that's my little piece of home that I have. It was easy to stay in touch with friends and family via WhatsApp and Facebook, so even though I was so far away, I didn't really feel lonely or out of the loop. I think that is what really helped keep me from being homesick this year. I did make a conscious effort not to be tied down to my phone during this trip, and for the most part, I think I succeeded. I did upload my photos every day, and talk to my boyfriend and parents, but for the most part, I only did that when I was in my room, not out with friends or walking around the town. I tried to take in as much of Spain as I could, which meant being present. I feel like as soon as I boarded that first flight out of O'Hare this year, home became Ireland and Spain.
How do you battle homesickness? I think it's important to bring something from home with you. I do have my stuffed animal, and for me, that's enough. I also keep in touch with friends and family, maybe not on a daily basis- there were some days when I didn't talk to anybody that wasn't in Spain with me- but enough that I never felt completely alone. And exploring the area you're in is also really important. I made a point to find my way around Toledo as quickly as possible, so for the first week or so, all I did was let myself get lost and find my way back. After that, I felt completely comfortable in my surroundings, I didn't feel afraid walking around, and I felt confident that I could set out on my own and be alright.
Culture shock... I thought it would be worse! I got off the plane at Barajas in Madrid, and it was a bit interesting to see everything labeled in Spanish, but I'd just come from Ireland, where everything is labeled in Gaelic, so the dual-language aspect of it really didn't bother me. I actually appreciated it, because it was like a little test to my Spanish comprehension. I was determined right off the bat to speak in Spanish as much as I could, so even arriving that first day at our hotel, I tried my best. They spoke back to me in English. Later on, it was more difficult. Some days, my head would hurt from how hard I had to concentrate to translate what people were saying, especially when they would take us out as a group for tours around Toledo and its important monuments. These tours were conducted in all Spanish, and by the end, I always felt myself losing focus because I just couldn't keep up. This got easier over time, and I think that my ability to translate on the go is much better than it was at first, because everyone was always speaking Spanish to us- in class, on tours, in the cafeteria, in bars, at restaurants...- but for me, that was the hardest part. The food wasn't all that different (but it was delicious), and the customs weren't so strange that I ever felt uncomfortable (siestas forever!!!). It really was just getting used to hearing and responding in Spanish all the time. On the plus side, I now feel much more confident in both regards.
Reverse culture shock. I knew it was a thing and I wasn't sure if I'd experience it or not. I think I have, just a little. It was incredibly strange getting off the plane in Dublin and suddenly everything was in English, English everywhere, and it was cold. I went from 100 degrees in Madrid to 65 degrees in Dublin in the course of an afternoon. And then I went out walking and that was incredibly different, too. There were so many people out on the streets at a time which in Spain would still be siesta hours, so I didn't get the peace and quiet I was originally looking for. I think the hardest part for me was going for dinner. I kept walking into bars, and they were dimly lit and crowded and everybody was so incredibly loud, that I'd just walk right back out. I couldn't deal with the loudness- it almost hurt my ears. Not to say that it's never loud in Spain, but it certainly isn't at that time of day when I was looking for dinner (7 pm). 7 pm in Toledo, sometimes I'd be the only person in the terraza for dinner, or there'd be one or two other tables only. People don't start going out for dinner and tapas until 9-10 pm in Spain, so to see SO many people eating dinner and walking around was just so strange to me. I finally found a bar for dinner, and afterwards went on a mad search for my favorite Irish chocolates and Irish cider to bring home with me, but it was a very interesting afternoon. I didn't expect to have any difficulties in Dublin, but it was a huge change.
Going back to America, I was incredibly sad. I actually didn't want to go home- I'd have stayed in Spain forever if I could've. So I was in a bit of a funk getting on the plane. To try and avoid jet lag coming home, I slept as much as I possibly could on this flight. I think it totalled out to about 5 hours of sleep, on a 7.5 hour flight. This is what saved me when I got back. Last year, I fell asleep by like 6 pm and slept 14 hours. This year, I went to bed at a normal time. Still woke up at 3 am ready to start my day, but I figured I would. But coming home was... strange. Everything is so fast-paced here. I feel like America is the land of "I need it now"- everyone is in a hurry, everyone is stressed, everything is done for the utmost convenience. I mean, if the waiters from Spain came to America for a day, people in America would HATE THEM. The waiters in Spain really just leave you alone. They come over if you flag them, they don't give you the check unless you ask for it (and even then, it can take about 10 minutes or so to actually GET the check...), they aren't right on hand for refills, they don't ask you how your food is- basically the exact opposite of American waiters. What I'm trying to say is, I hate how everyone here is always in a rush to get somewhere or to finish something or to have something. It's like everybody's hurrying towards something but they don't even know what it is they're hurrying towards? Like life is a race and if you don't have certain things at a certain time, something must be wrong. I wish people knew that it was OK to just slow down a little, relax, enjoy the day. I think that's gotten lost in this culture- enjoying life for what it is. People spend so much time focused on working, they get caught up in the stress of paying the bills and the mad rush towards the "American Dream" of a house, a family, a career, but once they have those things, they're still not satisfied. And why? Because they don't know how to enjoy life for what it is. I feel like I'm still on Spanish time and everybody around me is running past. My days feel like they stretch on forever. I don't eat dinner until 8, 9, 10 pm. I walk every day, even during my lunch breaks at work. In a world that's too busy to slow down and breathe, I still feel like I have time.
I still have time.
No comments:
Post a Comment