Transition — a New Equilibrium
“I don’t know how much of me in the first half of 2019 will remain, if I’ll fall back to routines and it’ll feel like a dream. That scares and excites me at the same time.”, wrote J*****. Each phase of life delivers to us different things, as it influences personal values, crafts new rituals, and creates habits along the way. In retrospection, settling into a new environment has always been exciting, painful, and challenging — the fears of losing our old routines, the joy of unprecedented epiphanies, and the challenge of striking a balance between what’s available in our new environment while shaping our daily rituals.
Being unafraid to venture into new excellences while stepping away from old equilibriums is pivotal, crafting change and personal growth along the way. In retrospection, transitioning from Paris to Hong Kong demands metamorphosis — the accelerating city pace, the narrowing availability of green and space, and return of the familiarity of culture and language. Habits that have never left us that springs into life once available, while creative pursuits picked up in our journeys create our new equilibrium. For me, the warm weather, the availability of local Chinese produce, the availability of swimming pools/ yoga courses are habits paused for a period of time. Over time, part of my old self and rituals revived. Running on those early Saturday mornings, gliding in the 50-meter pool, and stepping into those chaotic and “aromatic” traditional markets bustling with life and dynamism filled me with content.
Part of Paris’s magic left me, with time and pursuit availability that differed drastically between work and exchange life. Yet, the enchantment of arts and history, the beauty of architecture and nature, and the French’s dedication to quality remains a lifelong inspiration. “You can be a runner but not have to run every day for the rest of your life.”, was a quote in “Power up” written by Yesil. This sentence stood out from the books for me, as while searching for ourselves in different phases of life journeys, transitions and adjustments are a huge part of learning.
During one of the team drinks we had on a Thursday night, I talked to a few expats who have relocated to Hong Kong for a while. Coming from different parts of Europe, the UK, France, and Ireland, I asked how they enjoy Hong Kong and if they ever missed life back home. “There are times when I’m completely overwhelmed by the speed and noise. There’s always something going on, the dynamism of the city, the convenience, and the connectivity.” “You have to get out of HK for a while, whether a visit home, into nature, or to nearby countries for a break, and give yourself a change of mindset and perspective.” “Back home in the UK, we take 3–4 hour drives from London on Friday night just so that we get to hike in the weekends. Right here it can be a 30-minute drive away, and that’s considered long already.” “I’ve learned to turn down a few invitations and leave some time for myself.” “How are you? Living the dream.” Each of us stick to certain parts of our old identity, while crafting new ones to keep that personal balance in different places and phases of our life journey. Venture on, be unafraid of transitions, and craft new equilibriums integrating our past excellences.
