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| Enjoying winter back in Calgary, Alberta |
I can't believe it's been a year back in Canada! I still talk about my experiences down under regularly much to the chagrin of some of my colleagues who have made it a game -- "How long until Jim mentions that he went to Australia?" It's definitely a weird feeling being back in your old life like nothing has changed. There are a lot of subtle and big differences, relationship changes and personal growth that happened when you were away that can make reintegrating hard.
A full year to think about my exchange has really made me appreciate all of the talk we had beforehand about mental health and culture shock. The emotional highs and lows you experience when you are there and when you come back have a real effect. The ATA (Alberta Teacher's Association) does a great job of talking about this before and after you go, but you don't think it's going to be all that real until it actually happens.
This is a graph of your mood when you leave and when you come back courtesy of the exchange handbook. (ieep.ca)
I would say that I'm finally in the adjustment phase. You don't really realize which phase you're in until after you're out of it. It's a lot easier to see how cranky and complaint-filled you were when you no longer feel that way. I've found it helpful to focus on what I will do next and create new goals for myself. I have a good imagination and I can believe that there is always a chance I might do this sort of thing again in the future.
Speaking of creating goals for myself, I'm excited that I'm going to be speaking at the Palliser District Teachers' Convention on Thursday, February 20th. I've never done a public speaking event before, but I've decided it can't be any scarier than moving to a different country for a year. If you're interested in learning about what the exchange is like and how to apply, please come! It gives me the chance to talk about it again!
