Arting the Ordinary

Submitted by Frauchen on Tue, 02/21/2012 - 20:00
Like black and white pictures on facebook.

The great thing about moving, and I've moved a lot, is that the mundane gets a little more exciting. It just hits a slightly different chord in my brain, as if the neural clusters activated shifted just a tad to let you know- new! This is why the subway only now begins to bore, the smell of dirty clothes begins to reek, and that neighbor who complained to the management about my slamming my door becomes a problem that exists in reality.

The rose-colored goggles are wearing thin these past few days as the naturally foreign concepts of reality and responsibility begin to tap upon the everyday door. As I already mentioned, I had a “noise complaint” in our apartment building (our housing is mixed with locals), which I find interesting considering I don't even spend more than 3 hours in my own apartment every day. And speaking of complaints against me, I received a forty Euro ticked on the subway for purchasing the wrong ticket (it said “student ticket!) and my pleas of misunderstanding were met with the dismissal, “Well, you must read it in German!” This and other every day reminders keep pressing the constant brain-chatter of my mind to repeat, I really need to learn more German.

But please, let's not focus on the negative. I've always been a firm believer that beauty exists in both the “mundane,” “everyday,” and “cliche,” and this trip will hopefully only expand my conception of beauty. There are many things I come to love in routine. At home, it was locking the door every night and falling asleep on the couch while D sat at his computer programming. This always made me feel safe. Here, I am beginning to develop other routines. The laundry tokens we must buy are very expensive, so I do my laundry in my sink and dry them on the radiator. I feel rustic. I go to the gym and wander around in the locker room naked until I ask, and almost understand, the women who direct me on the proper way to approach the sauna (naked and pre-showered, if you want to know). It's the most relaxing thing I have done here and I felt like I belong.

Lord knows I can't decide on whether I desire stability, routine, and peace rather than adventure, drama, and mystery in my life. So far here, I've had (created, maybe?) a good mixture of both. I'm almost disappointed that I'm settling into my space here, in this apartment we decorated with objects and tapestries from home, and doing my homework as I would any other place. However, as soon as moments like these begin to arise something jars me- maybe I go outside, maybe I just smile- into the realization that my life isn't actually boring! In the right lighting, everything looks artistic. And if for a moment it isn't, I can change it. 
 

HaleyWho's picture

A New Routine

Submitted by HaleyWho on Mon, 02/27/2012 - 06:51.
It's funny, isn't it, how normal life can become in a foriegn place?  Suddenly neighborhoods that were once impenetrable mazes are easy to navigate, you know where to by coffee and the homework piles up.  I've always loved this part of moving to a new place; the chance to create a new (and maybe more positive) routine.  Maybe you can make learning German part of this new routine; I don't know how your apartment-mates feel about it, but you can label common objects in the house with post-it notes of their German name.  It's a great way to build passive language learning, as is music, movies and just sitting outside listening to people speak.  Not only can these be adventures, they're a great way to develop a connection to the place you've moved to!
Macabea's picture

The Ordinary

Submitted by Macabea on Wed, 02/22/2012 - 16:38.
I've similarly felt a bit dissapointed when I realize that my life here in Abu Dhabi could essentially be lived anywhere.  Especially because "culture" is kind of an ambiguous thing in Abu Dhabi.  it is basically an ex-pat haven where rich Westerners and their Emirati counterparts are served by the huge porportion of workers from South and Southeast Asia.  However, I see now how that is a culture in itself and that as a student of Culturally Sustainable Development I have immeasurable learning opportunities here.  I've also made the most out of the incredible networking opportunities and landed tow prestigious internships.  I guess I have to realize that even though my actions are ordinary when compared to life in New York, the processes that surround them are vastly different.