The Doldrums

Blerg.  Another series of dispirited days. (See above)

It ebbs and flows, but I can tell I am in a low period in my sojourn.  It’s natural to experience a few lows here and there, even if you are living in a beautiful palace in Scotland and doing work you love to bits and pieces.  I feel guilty for being so languid, but I must obey the laws of cultural adjustment just like every one else.

So I will allow myself to pout and mourn for a few days and then I will brush myself off and get back to my summer adventures with unbridled enthusiasm once again.

I first noticed I was entering the doldrums stage when I reached the conclusion that I needed a haircut (usually when I decide I need a haircut, it becomes an all-consuming quest until fulfilled).  A haircut is not an extraordinary task to achieve… when you know where to get a haircut.  Or when you know with confidence that you can communicate what needs to be cut where and how.  Or when you know it’s not costing 2x what you would pay in the States for someone to trim a quarter-of-an-inch of hair.  It’s been a few weeks since I recognized and admitted I need a haircut and the issue is still unresolved.  I think I will just need to bite the bullet and spend the £30 on a dang haircut.

There are a few other minor frustrations (like craving decent Mexican food and impossible time zone differences) that alone would be tolerable.  But coupled together with the fact that my beloved students just left and every emotion is e-x-a-c-e-r-b-a-t-e-d.

ANYWAYS

I made a short list of things that might comfort me and help me cheer up, buttercup. It includes

• Getting a haircut (seems obvious, right?)
• Playing piano and/or guitar
• Reading Harry Potter (I now own all 7 UK versions!)
  
• Writing letters to friends and family
• Making a list of everything I l-o-v-e about Scotland
• Riding a bike around the estate
• Fantasizing about owning a  Canon Rebel camera (or a grown ups camera) one day
• Blogging more (I still have to regale you all about St. Andrews and Oxford!)
• Calling Aly relentlessly until I get ahold of her (she is a slippery eel)
• LOL Cats
• Spending more time with Patty and Nat
• Working extra hard this week and bringing on my best professional game

I also think it is important to not focus on what I have not or cannot accomplish here and instead focus on what I have and can.  I remind myself now that I have traveled from Scotland to Portugal with ease like I was  Magellan.  And if I can do all that, then well, I am sure I can find a hair salon and a good burrito.

I don’t want to just wallow in melancholy-ness so I will be pro-active in find a way to get past this lull.  Transatlantic phone calls, mail, mix tapes, e-mails, pictures of fluffy animals, anecdotes, and warm thoughts could not hurt, either.  Just saying.