Odd thoughts

After living here for 4+ years, I am realizing some of the ways we are different from what we might have been if we had spent the last 4 years in America.  Being an expat (someone living outside their home country) has some strange benefits and some interesting consequences. I thought today I would share a few I have noticed or overheard lately.  Some of you that read this and are also expats feel free to share yours in the comments!

• Hannah told me that recently while at camp with other expat kids, some of her friends were talking about having their own home someday.  Hannah said, "Sometimes I think of all the products that I will always have stocked in my kitchen, you know, the ones you can't find here."  Her friends piped up and said, "Me too!!" Then they began a list of things they would have because you can't get them here in this country.   You know, things like cheese, junk food, chips, marshmallows, Dr. Pepper, chocolate, cookie dough, strawberries, graham crackers....

• This weekend Hudson told me he had dreamed that we saw our friends, the K Family, in America. Then he said, "Isn't it interesting that we have never lived in America at the same time as the K Fam?"  To which Hannah replied, "Sure we did, we all lived in America before we moved here."   This conversation caused me to think about all the wonderful friends we have here and how they are close like family.....but would it be wierd if we were all in America together?

• I am pretty sure I will always struggle filling a glass with tap water then drinking it!

• The modes of transportation that we have become accustomed to, from overnight train, to overnight bus, to hard seat, soft seat, to 3-wheel cart is lost on most people.  I was telling someone recently about our trip to camp and how when we came home we rode a bus 8 hours through the mountains, then caught an overnight train, then drove two hours more just to get home. They were amazed at how far it was and how many modes of transportation we had taken. For someone living here, that is just what you do.

• I will never be able to wear shoes inside of a house again.

• While riding in a cab the other day I was talking with the lady driver who has become a friend of mine.  In a quiet part of the conversation, Hudson told me that he didn't have to translate any of what we said into English, in fact he didn't even think of the English words as he listened.  Then he asked me, "How and when did that happen?"

• Cereal has become a luxury item.

• Sight-seeing on vacation anywhere now ALWAYS includes a tour of the local grocery store to check out what they have that we can't get!