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The uplifting of thankfulness.


Trying to settle into a new country and culture is complicated. It’s very different from visiting, where all things new are (mostly) an exciting adventure. Living and settling is an invitation to not just be an observer of the culture and ways from the outside, but to embrace it and become part of what others observe when they are visiting.

But it’s complicated. And it takes time to navigate. How do you embrace a culture that functions so differently from your own, while not loosing yourself? How you navigate not letting the struggles overshadow all the treasure each culture carries within them?

How do you remain thankful, when everything within you is feeling overwhelmed by yet another wave of culture shock, leaving you feeling a bit like you were literally washed up on the sand by a giant wave?

This month marked 6 months of living in Amsterdam. I guess we all hit moments of reflection in our journeys. I don’t know if I hit one of those moments, or if I am reflecting as a result of being overwhelmed.

On Sunday I was strolling around the city as I do. It was a beautiful day and the streets and parks were full of tourists and locals (sometimes I wonder where all the people come from as there are people everywhere). And yet walking around (not going anywhere in particular) I felt so completely alone in the world. It crept in on me and just hit me, and as I watched families, friends, couples, random collections of people, their togetherness seemed to amplify my aloneness. And I was faced with a choice: either I could choose to remain in that place of feeling alone; or I could go the route of thankfulness.

I chose thankfulness.

I started thanking God for the simple things, like a nice sunny day, a beautiful city to walk around in, for a free day. And even if I still felt quite alone at first, as I kept thanking Him, it was as it something shifted in my perspective. And I found the things that before had emphasized my feeling alone, were now springboards to gratitude. Needless to say it became a really good day.

Even if my circumstances haven’t changed, and the expectation that by now I’d surely be settled in the city with the language figured out and a network of people around me hasn’t been met, my heart is more at peace. I know more Dutch than I did 6 months ago, and my online course which I do on and off when I have a moment, it definitely extending my vocabulary. However speaking and understanding when it is spoken is a bit more tricky. But still there is progression, and I was very excited the other day when I had a whole (small) conversation in a shop in Dutch without having to resort to English. And connecting with people just takes time, and I am so grateful for the ones I do know and can spend time with.

So I am thankful. Thankful for the revelation that gratitude is a vehicle to peace and perspective.

I just finished some apple pie and am in the process of drinking a delicious cup of Earl Grey tea. As always, airports are the best place to blog, and I am waiting for my flight home to Norway for an extra long weekend. I am ready for some time in familiar surroundings in a culture I understand better. And yet at the same time, I am glad to be on the journey of discovering the treasures of the Dutch culture as I continue to live and work in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

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