What to do when you’re unemployed in a foreign city: Part II

It turns out that nobody I know (except maybe a guy in northern Quebec) is unemployed in a foreign land. So I'm going to address the broader question: “what to do when you’re unemployed?” It’s been interesting to catalog people's reactions when they learn that you're about to be unemployed. It’s one of those situations that affects everyone very differently, so the response is usually tactfully generic, like “well, what an opportunity!” Then there are the more revealing comments, like “well that could be kind of fun!” on up to “you should start playing on street corners!” The way people respond reveals how they’d react to being unemployed. Some people would freak out, others would sleep 12 hours a day, and some would just grab their guitar and chase their dream.

I think I fall somewhere in between the dream-chasers and the freak-outers. But give me a modest level of security (like, say, a husband with a job, and a period of being not allowed to work), and the freak-out part mostly goes away. That means that for the first time in my life, I can truly enjoy having lots of time.

It’s not so easy for everyone, of course. The pressure of needing to put food on the table can destroy the buzz for anybody, and if you’re looking toward retirement or other big goals, it’s no party for you either. Those factors aside, though, most Americans have a work ethic that’s constantly buzzing in their ear to “be productive.” The following list can't solve those deeper issues, its' how I've found enjoyment amidst uncertainty. So, here we go:

• Learn about the place where you live. Read history books, go to museums, bike/drive around to local attractions. Be one of those people that tourists can actually get information from. This might feel like a mini-vacation.
•  Make a list of people you’d love to spend time with, and then do it. (It’s amazing how time can slip by!) Grandparents, parents, old friends…. 
•  Write letters. 
•  Learn a skill: I’m considering subscribing to a website that teaches software for business and design. I’m also refining my skills as a yoga practitioner.
• Watch youtube interviews with your favorite musicians/actors: a great way to learn about the creative process. “Speakeasy” and “Inside The Actor’s Studio” are two such shows. 
•  Grow food: While tomatoes from Mexico might be cheap, they cost us in fossil fuels used for transportation. Also, growing/buying local helps keep our cities self-supporting. Not to mention gardening nourishes the tummy and the soul. 
•  Take care of your health: cook really good food, for yourself and others; do those exercises you always think about
• Walk or bike around. We did this all the time as kids; we knew the names of all the parks in the neighborhood. As an adult, it’s fun to look around at other people’s houses/gardens. 
•  Get involved: volunteer, write those letters you always think about writing, sign petitions and get informed on issues you care about
• Play music, Paint (I don’t do the latter, but I know a few ladies who do!) 
•  Read classic novels (what the heck? maybe they’ll make more sense now that I’m a grownup!)

 In addition to doing many of the above, I'm also dealing with adjusting to public transportation (I'll have a few stories about that later), researching job opportunities, and getting used to married life. So I feel quite confident that not only will I be keeping busy, but this free time will probably be over before I know it. My concern is not so much "how will I fill my time," but "how can I make the most of the time?" When I look back on this period, I will surely wish I had slept more or played music more or job-searched more. It's the same feeling everyone has at the end of vacation, isn't it? Sometimes I wonder if the cure to that is more being. That sometimes by always planning and thinking over what we should  accomplish, we miss the spaciousness of the weekend, the vacation, or whatever time we have. Maybe that free space between moments is what we're really looking for.