2015 started bright and shiny. And any new year demands for new starts as well; starting to get slim once more (and loose the December pounds), starting to become fit again (and revisit the gym for weekly workouts), starting to manage your time and energy more efficiently (by planning to take a nap and proper lunches for a start).
New beginnings trigger loads of energy. They call for a new round, new chances to do it right this time, bury bygones and let go old struggles.
Any opportunity to start afresh could be regarded as a gift. A chance to create something new out of old, break with old habits which are not useful anymore. It opens a whole new world of different options.
Leaving your country to move abroad, could also elicit this feeling. Everything is open, all the familiar systems are left behind. It is a time to expand your skills, explore new places, overcome unforeseen challenges, discover different fields of interest, other ways of doing and meet new people.
An enriching time for most immigrants, but sometimes it could be a bit too much. It’s nice to be offered so many options, but the related responsibility could be tough. You can’t take it all… so what are your going for… what are the consequences?
Migrating is for the daring people, the ones who like to connect with new worlds and are not afraid of the Unknown, the vague blur of languages, customs, rules, regulations and other daily stuff.
In conquering the new hometown, you surely will sooner or later come across unhappy experiences, uneasy communication and unsettling feelings of distress. It’s the art of not getting knocked down, while success is never guaranteed.
I remember the excitement as well as the fear when we were moving for the umpteenth time. New hometown; delightful and attractive and at the same time bewildering and whacky. What I have learned from all this, is that at the end of the day, it is always up to yourself to cope with it, hopefully supported by people around you and helpful circumstances.
And when you survive, you will stand fiercely any new start. You’ve passed through and know you always can make new connections, but also that it is essential to cherish valuable old ones at the same time.
Carola Eijsenring
Carola writes for Eindhoven News on a monthly basis, she writes about things happening in her life, subjects that touch the multicultural world of Eindhoven.
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