I spent the last several months in DR (primarily in Santo Domingo). Last week I returned to NYC and I fell into a depression. I'm finally coming out of it but I'm wondering if I should take the leap and live in DR. In June I begin the CELTA course (specializes in teaching English to adults). My future is wide open.
When I was in DR I felt I was really growing. Learning a new language and a new culture was exhilarating for me. I feel like I will grow more living in DR as opposed to continue doing what I'm used to in NYC. The thought of learning Spanish fluently really appeals to me. Here in NYC I feel kind of empty. Everyone seems so consumed with their careers and have little time to connect. I did that myself for many years and I'm tired.
I was wondering if anyone here experienced depression after returning home from DR. Some of my friends say that being away for several months has just caused me to be in culture shock and that it will pass. They say living in DR will be depressing. But they don't know what I experienced. I felt so alive even with all the problems in DR. Yes the poverty literally made me tear up at times, but that's reality. I don't want to live in a Starbucks bubble.
When I was in DR I felt I was really growing. Learning a new language and a new culture was exhilarating for me. I feel like I will grow more living in DR as opposed to continue doing what I'm used to in NYC. The thought of learning Spanish fluently really appeals to me. Here in NYC I feel kind of empty. Everyone seems so consumed with their careers and have little time to connect. I did that myself for many years and I'm tired.
I was wondering if anyone here experienced depression after returning home from DR. Some of my friends say that being away for several months has just caused me to be in culture shock and that it will pass. They say living in DR will be depressing. But they don't know what I experienced. I felt so alive even with all the problems in DR. Yes the poverty literally made me tear up at times, but that's reality. I don't want to live in a Starbucks bubble.