No More Complaining

So what if the food isn't great? I get to have deep meaningful conversations over the lunch table everyday with people from different countries and ethnicities. I get to learn things that are developing cultural competency and tolerance of ambiguity within me. I wake up everyday knowing that I will learn something new. And, I go to bed everyday satisfied that I did learn something new. This chance for me to leave the bubble of my culture and live in someone else's country for half a year has been a gift that I failed to acknowledge until last week.

I have been complaining about food and lack of fun activities to do in Ada for the past whole month. People in the ONU International department explained my feelings to me through 5 stages of Cultural Shock. According to them, I was in Rejection or the Distress phase in which  the person absolutely hates everything about the new culture. It does hold some truth but that's not it. I have been going through the 5 stages of cultural shock all at once with rejection for the food being evident but it stops now.

Billie Eilish said that she ruined so many things just because she was sad. I felt that and I have decided that I won't ruin my experience of living here just because a voice inside my head tells me to be critical about everything. I will keep learning and loving.