If adaptability is key to human evolution, I am surprised I made it this far.
I seemed to have always had an issue with adapting to my surroundings or change. Either I never fully adapt or it takes me forever to successfully adjust. In fact, my Project MyStory blog from last year was all about my time adapting to moving out of Queens, New York to Albany, New York the summer before freshman year. It is incredible how much I let that transition affect my mental and physical health, which then, affected my academic performance tremendously. Since finishing that semester and since completing my blogs, I made a little mental note to myself to figure out what works and does not, in order to help face newness without fear. And in case you were wondering, I would not say that I am fully adapted to living in Albany yet, even though I have been here for almost three years.
This summer I traveled to Canada, Florida, and several cities throughout Europe ,where my adaptation skills were put to the test, and I actually did not fail! Yes, I am, equally surprised. As soon as I arrived in Florida, I told myself to get into the mentality of a traveler, which meant being open to getting to bed later, waking up earlier, and having to walk around a lot. Although I was exhausted and slightly aggravated by any minor inconveniences, I ended up having a really good time just because of that mental switch. It is amazing what can happen, when you give yourself permission to change. Since I was not at home, if I had to sacrifice some minor inconveniences, to enjoy the privilege of traveling and seeing amazing places, it would be worth it. I would go back to my old and boring, but comfortable life in a few weeks anyways.
Although I was able to successfully overcome my trip to Canada and Florida, my trip throughout Europe was not as successful. Even though it was a longer trip, with minimal time to relax, I felt like I was not able to hold up as well as I wish I did. Although I had a great time roaming all around France, Amsterdam, Belgium, the Netherlands and so many other cities I dreamed about visiting for a long time, I realize that I wasted such a good opportunity, getting irritated by little things that did not really bother anyone else on the trip other than me.
Traveling is one of the most obvious examples I can give about my issue with adapting to change, but there are many little changes I go through in my day that find a way to bug me. Developing an immunity, or rather, a better way to cope with the unexpected, the new, and the altered around me, can really help me to have a better time and keep a cooler head throughout my day and as a result not make me feel like the way I do about my trip to Europe.
Even though I have come a long way from homesickness and dealing with change, there is always more room for improvement. Although I do not have a sure-fire plan on how to ease myself into becoming more adaptable to my surroundings, telling myself to think about what I can do to improve a situation or reminding myself that the temporary nature of most things means that I may only have a little while to enjoy them, helps me to get through my issue with adaptation for now which hopefully will help me learn to adapt in the long run.
Please Note: The views of our student bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the UAlbany Advisement Services Center. These are their stories and their voices.
Resources:
About the Author:
Simonti B.
Class of 2019
Majors: Biology and English
Past Blog Theme:
Writing My Own Chapter
Current Theme:
Resolutionary
UAlbany Project MyStory 
0 comments on “Cha Cha Changes”