Adapting to New Environments

We are pretty adaptive beings.

Personally, I have a lot of experience in moving house and usually, upon receiving news of relocating yet again, I would feel quite sad- especially when I moved from a bigger house to a smaller one. However, I got used to the new surroundings pretty fast and it was like I'd been there forever. Here's a list of the times I've moved (plus the countries I've moved to). The years are an approximate.

1. (2000) Moved to Shanghai, China:
2. Moved house once

3. (2003) Moved back to Malaysia:
4. (2005) Moved from BU ->KD
5. (2007) Moved from KD -> SPK
6. (2012) Moved from SPK -> AD
7. (2013) Moved from AD -> AD (Different compound, same area)

[(2013) Moved to Beijing, China (2 1/2 weeks)]

8.  (2013) Moved to Alberta, Canada alone

And here we are. In 13 years I have moved 8 times, well 9 if you count the 2 and a half weeks in Beijing. Technically only my parents moved there and I was just staying with them for a month (until my visitor visa expired) but then things didn't work out and we all moved back 2 weeks later. Funny stuff (they brought so much luggage over).

So, let's just keep it at 8. Honestly, even if I lived in a house for 3 years (4 is my max), it wouldn't feel any more of a home than if I had only lived there for a year. Granted, I would have more memories, but really, I adapt to new living spaces quite quickly. And I think this isn't just me; its all human beings.

The fact is, even if we moved every year, its not the house that makes it home, its the people living in it. So even though I moved 8 times over the past 13 years, I have always had my family with me along the transition thus, home was a portable intangible concept.

But now, I have moved and am living alone. My mom did help me transition to this new environment though, so that was a big help. But sometimes, I get horrendously homesick (especially since Chinese New Year just passed) but I know I'm going to be fine. I've almost completely adapted here and making new friends has always been a hard thing for me but it's coming along great.

Anyway, the point of this post was to say that no matter what life-changing moments may come to you (like moving house/migrating), they aren't as scary as they first seem. We are highly adaptive and with time, you'll be living as if you own the place.

Good luck to everyone facing the un-see able future! (which is literally everyone)
=D Peace