Hi everyone. Good morning. Adel’s here.
How’s life treating you these days?
Mine has been very interesting . . . in a good way. So, let me catch you all up to the days I’m living now -and how Manado serves the BREATHTAKING VIEW every single morning #wink-
First of all, sorry for not being able to post my monthly update on time.
Nothing much happened before last week of February. I spent the first few days still struggling to accept the fact that I needed to do internship at Manado. It was not the place I originally targeted and I knew almost nothing about the place except its demographic information. I don’t speak the language and . . . well, generally living up to the feeling of entering into the unknown territory. I have a senior whom I grow relatively close with over the years there but that is not reassuring enough. I was so scared, angry, disappointed at life, myself and didn’t really have a vessel to pour my feelings out to. The pull to go back under the negativity spiral was so big that on some days I just gave in. I have always been slow in processing the least favorable emotions. I mean it took me seven years to really detach myself from a very toxic -undetermined and undefined “love” relationship- so . . . imagine doing something similar in less than a month with literally no schedule to distract me from overthinking. Exercising with Lily Sabri and T-25 almost every day helped a bit; It took at least an hour out but honestly it was definitely one of those trying times. Knowing I have my sister, mom and close friends by my side also helped but at the end of the day, I am the kind of person that have to find silver lining on my own. I am happy to say though that I am feeling and doing better now. Not completely back to 100% but . . . much better compared to the state I was in when I left Jakarta. Having a routine to do -re: waking up at 5 AM, dealing with patients at the hospital, back to the apartment and sleep – is really helpful. It reminds me to focus on things I can control. It kinda forces me to put my energy on activities that are positive instead of spending my time overimagining every possible life-shattering event that is unlikely to happen. I guess I can claim this as yet another “growing section” of my life. Changes are rarely comfortable but I believe if I can be on the right mindset, I will eventually learn something valuable from it and hopefully be a better version of myself in the upcoming days. It’s only a year and before I know it, I will be back at Jakarta with my family :)
Another grueling moment in February was to celebrate Chinese New Year without having our annual big family reunion dinner. Truth be told, I always look forward to that reunion dinner. I love to talk, sit, eat and catch up with my relatively small but super fun family members. The dinner holds a very meaningful and important value for us as a Chinese family. To have one legit reason to gather people around and just share about things that had happened or will happen in the near future is a great thing but due to the pandemic, virtual celebration was certainly a wiser and better option. I really truly hope that next year, after everyone is vaccinated, we will get to do the tradition again. As I grow older, I realize the importance of keeping up with all family members. Like all things in life, it takes effort to maintain connections and by the end of the day, family is family. Therefore, they are important. As for Valentine’s Day, nothing happened this year and surprisingly, I felt completely fine with it. I usually loathe this day. Being single almost my whole life, I never got to spend the day with a significant other. Instead of feeling special, I remembered being lonely and at times. . sad. Okay . . . Maybe it’s just my hopeless romantic side that got affected and be all dramatic about it because I never got to a point where I couldn’t function properly as a human being. I got through it like any other day, I just had to see bunch of chocolates, romantic quotes by inspiring figures and specially arranged romantic dinners Instagram stories. Plus, Galentine’s Dinner is equally fun. Last year, I spent it with my juniors back at the dorm and it was hilarious. We sang Bruno Mars all night and fell asleep at 3 AM. That being said, I did receive one flower vase from a friend. It was sweet of him to do so. #thankyou
Continuing to the week I left for Manado. It was super hectic. With tons of documents to print; signatures to gain, things to pack and several tests to do, my anxiety level just went up to the roof. I even booked my dad the wrong room and almost drove my mom and sister crazy with my sarcastic reactions. Eventful was the right word to describe the whole experience. It took three and half hours to get here and all I did during the flight was sleep and read. February was not about self-help book. My goal was to survive and dig myself out of the gutter. So, other than munching down Grandpa Biden’s book -Promise me, Dad- I devoured Jasmine Guilorry’s five-series romantic novels. I have to say; the third book was saucy and crazy to read. It was so intriguing cause I could imagine it happening in real life -I might have witnessed a similar story unfolding in front of me personally- I won’t give any spoilers but I do think that you guys should check it out. It’s easy to read, fun, a bit “predictable” but yet you still want to continue reading because somehow it managed to hook you up. Moreover, it delivers a message that even the minorities deserve the same treatment and that they’re living a life that is not much different from other people in general. As for President Biden’s book, it was the first autobiography that got me crying for 15 minutes straight. Avoid chapter 9 if you don’t want to wake up with swollen eyes. I was never a big fan of autobiography but this one hit differently. It covered how the Biden’s family dealt with Beau’s condition and the grief of losing a son to cancer. I don’t know how people are seeing cancer outside of Indonesia, but here… it’s taboo as if talking about it means . . . you’re being mean in a way. People are still reluctant to enrich themselves with adequate information; sometimes even when they are dealing with it personally. In some small areas, it is still viewed as a curse therefore it should be kept as a shameful secret. Having him being so open and vulnerable about the hardships in navigating life afterwards was really touching. To know that it didn’t get any easier the second time around. It’s very inspiring. Ooh, I almost forgot to share another rom-com novel I enjoyed. Abby Jimenez released the sequel to Friend-Zone -The Happy Ever After Playlist- The main character was Sloan, Kristen’s best friend that lost Brandon, the fiancé few weeks before their marriage. It talked about how grief could eat you up from the inside, even leading to death at times. It also highlighted the importance of being a good considerate friend. The quality of this novel is as insanely good as the first one. I promise you won’t be disappointed. It’s a good investment of your time.
And how’s life treating you now Genoveva Verena Adella?
Life has been generally good. Work wise; I am still adapting. It has been quite easy and smooth despite the language barrier. I learnt some new terms -buku-buku is knee, pantat leher is the back of your neck, totofore is tremor, kokehe is cough, hosa is difficulty breathing- Having fun work partners plays a major role as well. Since we’re experiencing this unique transition phase together, I felt we bonded on the feeling of unfamiliarity and giddiness of living the new life as general practitioners. The new sense of obligation that's given on to you was a bit terrifying yet humbling at the same time. The hospital staffs are also friendly and welcoming. They try to assist us in every way possible and that’s another soothing part of this new life chapter. Relationship wise; I love my girls. I still keep in contact with them; even just had almost two hours phone call with Teteh last night; congratulating and welcoming her to the jungle as well as discussing things to prep for her oath ceremony. As for boyfriend, let’s just say I haven’t managed to find the right time and person to do virtual dates. My shift is quite long and usually after I finish my shift, I only have the energy to wash myself up and sleep. So, maybe I will settle with that once I get the hang of this better. The most exciting part of staying at Manado is the view. My morning view is total goals. The candy cane sky; mountains and waves sound; so calming and relaxing. My land lady is also very kind. She invited me over to her house and cooked me some hot pot last week. She said she could relate to feeling alone and confused during the first few months so she wanted to help in ways she could. I appreciate and am very grateful for that. Food hasn’t been really easy but . . .I think it will get better in time. Just had to put myself up with tons of Kangkong and Grilled Tuna for the time being. #peace I will soon tell you about the beauty of Tomohon once I get a day off. I haven’t gotten one full off day since I started so no travelling just yet. #peace
View from my balcony
That’s all I can share.
I hope you guys are still safe, healthy and fine. Please be vaccinated if you can; it’s a simple gesture that will save lives.
Until then, stay you, stay awesome.
Love, always and forever,
Genoveva Verena Adella 🥀
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