So far, I’ve only updated the site when something really cool was happening. I’ve written to tell everyone all the fun things I’ve done here. I’ve been reluctant to share some of the realities of my life here out of fear that someone will think I didn’t make the right choice in coming here, or that someone will judge this amazing country negatively based on one event. Recently, however, it’s been harder to keep this side of my experience here from affecting me.
Some of the difficulties, I knew to expect. I was warned that pick-pocketing was common. Sure enough three weeks ago, my wallet was stolen while I was getting off the bus on my way home from school. I only had cash on me, but I lost about $35 US dollars. Since then, I’ve been so scared to go home alone that I’ve Ubered home or skipped class on the days when I had night class by myself. Besides that, I’ve been catcalled and harassed numerous times here by men on the street. There’s a sense of unrelenting weariness I have now whenever I have to leave my touristy, upscale neighborhood.
Mentally, being in another country has been exhausting too. The language barrier, the cultural differences, and thousands of miles between me and my home are overwhelming at times. This past week especially I’ve been particularly homesick. Yesterday, I cried on the combi (think of it as a small public bus) because I was so homesick I didn’t want to go to school. Last night, I called my mom and my voice broke when I said hi because I missed her so much. There have been a few days so far where I’ve decided not to call my family because I didn’t want them to know how hard it sometimes is for me. What gets me through it is knowing that at the end of this, I’ll be proud of myself for having challenged myself enough to come here… even if some of those challenges really sucked.