new perspectives - by Meri

People have said to me: "Meri, you should go for internship abroad because it will change you so much!" Now that I've been here for two weeks I still find myself pretty much the same person, but the magic of it is that I see that person in a new perspective. So I would like to tell some things about myself from this perspective:

I used to see myself as a very career-oriented person. Now I have met people who have friends who are e.g. ready to sacrifice a strong couple relationship because of a study or work opportunity in another city, which I would never do. I have also noticed that I have more guts and more ability to appreciate little things than I thought I had. Here a little breeze, staying safe and healthy for another day, sun and living without calendar seem like the greatest blessings ever.

One thing I really value is thinking before speaking and I have been quite worried about whether I am able to do it at all. Here I have been several times asked about why I am so silent. I guess that is an effect of thinking before speaking, which I just do not notice back home. These occasions made me also remember the previous times when I've been commented about being silent. That was many years ago and I remember being very insulted for many days. Now I was happy to see that I could actually take it with some pride :)

Another thing I have found out recently is how much I appreciate Asian style of striving for harmony. I don't enjoy saying negative things and I love smiling, saying many thank yous, handing business card with both hands and constantly looking for ways to help others. In Malaysia the harmony still does not seem to come at the expense of honesty, and that's why I love the style of interaction here very much. And of course I still have the interesting learning opportunities, when I don't get understood in the same way as I think.....