I never really thought too much about completing university aside from the fact that it signifies freedom. As cliched as it sounds, the power to chart your life direction comes with great responsibility.
During my time at university, life was pretty much planned out for me. All I had to do was just make sure I pass my exams. Money was never an issue with allowance coming in regularly. Life was very comfortable.
Now that I'm back in Christchurch, the place I had grown so used to for the past few years. I feel strangely like a travelling stranger. Those who know me well will know that I am not a fan of travelling. I like to be in a place where I have everything I need in close proximity. It does make me sound a bit spoiled. But yeah, I admit that was how I was!
Now, it's different. Don't know where I'll be in the next month and what is going to happen. Right now, I'm really just living day by day, taking one step at a time. Now that it's the first time I'm living off campus, I start to feel more strongly the differences between being a student and not.
1) Getting used to living without usual comforts
I used to not like staying/camping at the university for long. As a student, I lived very close to university (10-15 minutes walk away) and I always felt that staying in my room is much more comfortable and I had immediate access to facilities like my shower, personal kettle, food and such.
This time, I am living in a house with no internet access and is two bus rides away from university (which is where I always come to get internet access). The house is also without a dryer so I always have to keep an eye out for rain when I'm drying my laundry and always plan my outfits ahead so I have enough clean clothes to wear! This is unlike previously where I lived in a place with a dryer and can, within a couple of hours transform my dirty laundry into clean laundry.
Also, power was unlimited for me when I was living on campus as it was included in my rent. I used to be able to use as much as I needed without thinking twice (though I do try to be environmentally conscious). Now that I pay for power based on how much I use and I'm living on a budget without a job yet, I think twice before leaving the lights on, or boiling a full kettle of water instead of half a kettle when I don't need a lot of hot water. This made me realise how comfortable life was when I was living on campus. I think it also makes me a more responsible human being now. :)
2) Unfamiliar environment
Having lived in the same area for the past few years, moving to a new area, albeit on a temporary basis does take some getting used to. Where I used to live, I knew exactly where to get what I needed such as the local takeout store, grocery store, homeware store.
Living in a new area, I needed to spend more effort to find out where the new local stores are located. Thankfully with the internet (or 3g internet since I don't have broadband at home) and smartphones, everything is just a few taps away.
This is when I come to appreciate having convenience stores like dairies and petrol stations nearby. Although the prices of items they sell are normally more expensive than if you go to a big supermarket, it's really convenient for people who don't own a car to get essential items quickly such as toilet paper, food, bodywash and other things you need on a daily basis!
3) Safety
I always felt very safe living on campus. There were Residential Assistants always a call away if I ever needed any sort of help! Now that I live off campus, I feel more vulnerable. The fact that I don't live with my close friends anymore makes things even more challenging as a girl. But I learn to take the necessary precautions such as not going out too late, always walking in brightly lit areas and keeping the door locked.
I also start to realise how safe and friendly the university environment was. Being in university makes me feel much more secure, physically and emotionally as opposed to being off campus and away from the suburb I used to live. I love my university!
4) Transport
Having owned a car until I sold it after I completed university, I had to get used to not being able to get to wherever I want very easily.
Come to think of it, owning a car would be more useful to me now than then as I often change locations and bring lots of stuff with me. I have become adept at using the local bus system which I think is really efficient and helpful. I appreciate having the buses a lot but I do think it is quite pricey for public transport :( I spend on average 5 dollars a day whenever I take the buses.
Doing much more walking and taking the public transport opened up new experiences for me. I start to admire the environment and notice little things more than I did before. I also get to know my surroundings more when I research the area to find out the most efficient bus route. I get to meet, observe and interact with more people by taking public transport. Also, I started to appreciate the beautiful New Zealand weather for being outdoors and walking and I start to not be afraid of being under the sun. I believe it is a common feeling for Chinese females to not want to get tanned as fairness is an attribute of beauty for us. However, I have overcome this and am not afraid to get smiled at by the sun more often now!
5) Constantly Breaking and Rebuilding your Routine System
Those who like a certain degree of routine in their lifestyle will appreciate this point.
An example of a routine system for me is how I use water in the bathroom.
Where I used to live on campus, our tap has hot and cold water settings and I only needed to rotate the head of the faucet to adjust the temperature of the water that is released.
I now live in a more old fashioned house where there are two separate taps consisting of hot and cold water respectively. The thing about this is that the hot water is often nearly boiling hot, and cold water is freezing cold! To obtain the ideal temperature of water I like, I have to use a cup to mix hot and cold water and use water from the cup instead of from the tap directly.
What made things more challenging is my very sensitive skin. Any little changes in my lifestyle or stress will impact on my skin, in the form of breakouts or redness and irritation. This can be very challenging especially for a female. I tackle this by keeping a positive mindset, accepting my body and doing what is necessary to maintain my health and hope for the best. I won't let something like that stop me from achieving what I want!
This is just a little change out of many changes in lifestyle that I believe anyone who has traveled before will understand. Such changes is one of the reasons I did not particularly like travelling as I love to keep my routines in life especially in the hygiene compartment. I guess I just, like majority of the human race, like being in my comfort zone :p. I do believe though, that such changes are exactly how travelling changes people. You break out of your previous routines and comfort zone and experience new things, see how others live their lives and think of new ways to adapt to your environment.
It's refreshing, and I have more than once, felt amazed at the rate at which I start feeling comfortable in a new environment. I surprise myself as I didn't expect myself to be able to adapt so quickly. My body got ahead of my feelings in this aspect. I'm very pleased with this and have more confidence in myself now to be able to survive in a new environment.
To those who feel scared to step out to a new environment and who feel that they can only be comfortable in their comfort zone, believe me, your body and mind has more capabilities than you can imagine. Just do it!
6) Uncertainty
I never really thought much about not doing anything during my holidays/term break. For the activities I fill my holidays up with, it's more out of the fact that I like to develop myself rather than societal/parental/peer pressure to do so.
After graduation, I immediately feel the pressure to find a paid job, just any paid job to do! The fact that I can't say I'm a student now when people ask me what I do and have no job yet, makes me feel bad! I really had never foresaw this feeling even just a couple of months back. I always felt like I had toiled away at academics and certainly no one will be harsh on me if I remained unemployed for a while, after all, the past few years haven't been easy! I was wrong, I admit I feel societal and peer pressure to quickly get a job now to avoid being viewed as a bum/loser. This is the vibe that I get in my current situation.
But what I'm doing now is really not walking the path that I would otherwise have walked if I had not chose this path. Does this sentence make sense? What I mean is, the "remaining in comfort zone" me would have just got a job somewhere closer to home (for example, 1 hour flight away from home? I'm 10 hours flight away from home now) and start to establish a new working life in a more familiar environment with a stable professional job. Right now, I still can't see yet what I'm gonna do for a living in this much more foreign environment and there's sooooooo much uncertainty. The bright side is, things are so much more exciting! I am very optimistic and I know that I will figure something out as things unravel itself.
After all, if now is not the time to do this, when is? :)
