I have now been out of the United States for 18 months (except for a small interlude last fall) and there are a number of things that used to be a perfectly normal part of my life and now seem incredibly strange to me. Or at least a little bit weird. I though I would share a few with you.
1. Baby Spinach, Baby Carrots (Baby Vegetables in General)
This morning I was washing some (normal) spinach leaves, and I suddenly remembered a part of my life where I used to buy whole bags of pre-washed baby spinach leaves. There were no stems to deal with, no dirt to clean off, you just dumped the stuff into a bowl and then you ate it.
The same with baby carrots. I went to the grocery store to get some carrots for dip for a party, knowing I would then go into my kitchen, peel those carrots, and chop them into manageable pieces for people to eat. I know some people in the U.S. still chop their own carrot sticks, but let’s be real, most of the time you’re just going to buy a bag of baby carrots and be done with it.
Then it’s kind of funny that we call them “baby whatevers” in the first place. Just think about it. It’s weird. In reality, “baby carrots” should probably refer to the jars of puree in the baby food aisle.
2. Thinking Anything Less Then Two hours Was a Long Time to Get Somewhere
In college I worked at a job that took THIRTY whole minutes to get to. I remember some neighborhoods seemed like the other side of the world; I never went there. When I went back in the Fall I looked at the whole metro system for the city and thought “Oh, this place is tiny.”
Now I’m used to calculating 1-2.5 hours of travel for standard weekly activities, and I’m not even going as far as I can. I could travel 3-4 hours and technically not even have left town. So now it’s like, “Oh, the route should be about 1.5 hours, that’s not bad.”
3. People Running with Their Shirts Off or in Sports Bras
Yep. Nope. Not a thing here.
4. NEVER Thinking About Security Issues When Planning My Day
I recently saw a friend post a picture from a popular spot on a Saturday. You could tell the area was crowded because there were several strangers visible in the background of her picture. My knee-jerk reaction was “Oh man, doesn’t she know how dangerous that is? She shouldn’t be there on a Saturday, there’s so many people there, someone might set off a bomb.”
Then I realized she lives in the United States, where almost no one plans their week around where the latest bomb threats have been made. I used to be like that. When I made plans to hang out with my friends, security considerations literally occupied 0% of my brain. Now they are always a factor to consider.
5. Filter Coffee/Espresso Being Everywhere
You can definitely get coffee here. They have Starbucks. I even know where all the cute little roasters are so I can buy beans and take them home. But there are a ton of places here where you CAN’T get coffee. It’s not just sitting around brewing in office break rooms, and every single restaurant won’t give you a to-go cup when you head out the door. Like I said, it’s definitely available, but it would be a real struggle to maintain the multi-cup habit I usually had when I was in the U.S. Now it seems a given to me that most people don’t brew regular coffee at their houses and you can only buy it at designated coffee shops. Oh, and getting ground coffee at the grocery store: forget about that too. Nescafe, anyone?
There you go! None of these things are judgement statements, but it’s funny how things can become your new normal. I always wonder how many other things I’m adjusting to but just not noticing.
I understand. When I was in the Navy visiting different countries always brought a stark reminder of how different things were. For example: (please bear in mind my Navy years were in the early 70’s) 1. Having a meal at a restaurant in Karachi, Pakistan. I wouldn’t think twice about a restaurant in the states, but I should have in Pakistan because I had dysentery for three days. Then there is Olongapo City, Philippines. All the sewer pipes emptied into the river that ran through the city, and there were children who would dive into the water when tourists would through coins into the water. Then there were the restrooms in Japan. Toilets were ceramic inserts in the floor where you couldn’t sit. And in Japan you could but Saki in vending machines on street corners like soda. Then there was Singapore where if you got caught spitting in public you could get arrested and possibly publicly beaten with a cane. The list goes on. Oh yes, in some of these places a simple glass of milk was unheard of. Sending you blessings. Dave