A new year, a new beginning.

This country is teaching me to be more patient, but not overly kind. I am quickly learning that people are insensitive, that arguments are rarely worth it, and that if I am out on my own late at night, strange people will want to approach me. There comes a point when it is best to disengage. I am tempering my politeness with a wary detachment I did not know I was capable of.

I worry about making friends these days. I wonder if I am likable. I wonder if I try too hard, or not hard enough. I wonder if trying should even be part of the equation.

This place sticks to you. I am covered in it. I am learning how to get up in the morning, to shower, to start again, to always put a smile on my face. I don’t mind the grit because I am learning to call it mine.