We do not have air conditioning and the heating system (or calefactor) is very simple and heats the house with a little flame that burns inside the system. Additionally, the walls are crumbling, and every now and then, we have to sweep the dirt that has fallen off of the walls. Getting someone from the campus to come and fix certain aspects of the house when they break is a challenge. Sometimes we go for weeks waiting for someone to come help.
All of this sounds very frustrating, I know. At first, I was very frustrated and uncomfortable, trying to understand why things were the way they were and how could people really be okay with living like this. But, as the saying goes, “When in Rome, do what the Romans do." This means that one must assimilate into the culture of the country that is hosting them. I realized that being frustrated would not help anything, and would only make me even more frustrated. Once I realized this, I became much more relaxed. I found that when I accepted the way things were, I found happiness.
Sometimes when you trave,l you have to do just that: accept the things you cannot change and appreciate what you have. You cannot expect to have the same living situation or daily routine in a foreign country that you have in your own country. Now, I find myself much more relaxed when something in the house breaks, or when the school takes forever to respond to requests about fixing it. I know that it will get fixed eventually, and if it doesn’t, then I must learn to work with what I have (something that is not uncommon in Argentina).
I hope you can all find this advice useful when you decided to travel or live abroad. It has been a pleasure writing for you and I hope that you have a great summer!
