As you know, we brought both of the cats and one of the dogs with us here. Mac was too old to make the trip and Boxers are on the forbidden list, so we just have the Spaniel with us. Dogs are rare here and most locals are scared to death of them. Oliver is a huge hit with all of the kids in the compound, for many of them it's the first time they have ever seen a dog up close. The cats have staked out their territory and wander freely throughout the compound. There are tons of feral cats here and they are simply everywhere, but no longer anywhere near this house. Our cats have let all of the local cats know, this is out of bounds.
Oliver has to be walked as there is no yard here and the cats have decided that joining us for every walk is a good thing. It's like having a little parade behind you wherever you go. Alex walks with you but Winnie tends to be the rear scout, she stays behind about 30 feet and then catches up from out of nowhere. David said it started after I left for the states. Apparently the paranoia of the animals was such that they must have decided we are no longer allowed out on our own; as long as we stay in sight, we can't disappear on them. They were very happy to have me home again, I feel as if I have furry appendages wherever I go.
Pet stores here do not have all of the things we are used to, especially for dogs. I bought rawhide bones and new collars back in the states because they are nigh onto impossible to find here; there are no dog toys at all. The price of dog food is outrageously expensive. I don't remember exactly how much it was for the 40 pounds of dog food but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $60; good thing Oliver is a light eater. Cat food is the same brand selection as we have in the states but when you open the can, all resemblance stops. There are actual fish pieces (like the heads) in the can...ick!
Finding vet care is another challenge. Oliver needed to be groomed and they wanted to anesthetize him. I wouldn't let them. Somehow I think it ought to be a prerequisite that if you groom dogs for a living, perhaps you shouldn't be scared to death of them. Just a thought. Our vet is Dutch and she's pretty good.
Fish and aquariums are very popular. People here use unconditioned tap water with their fish. I meant to buy a water testing kit and water conditioner when I was home. I went to the pet store and it was closed and I never got back there again. Darn. Oh well, there's always the holidays.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Reflections on trip home
I recently went back to my home country to take care of some damage to our home caused by recent weather events in the area. I managed to travel and see many of the important people in our lives, but not all, as time simply did not permit me to get to everyone. However, I reached some interesting conclusions while I was there, as I now have some basis to compare my life there and my current life. These are in no particular order, but just some random thoughts that have had some time to percolate.
I now realize, that the question, "Where are you from?" has way too many possible answers to give a response without clarifying questions. Where was I born, or where do I live now, or where is my permanent home are three that spring to mind and since they are all thousands of miles apart, it makes a difference. I once read that you can always tell an ex-pat because they cannot answer the "where are you from" inquiry with ease. I now now know how true it is.
Among other random thoughts that passed through my mind are that food portions are cultural. Large portions and "all you can eat" are definitively American. It just had not occurred to me that I was used to eating much less food at a sitting until I returned. Another related food fact is that vegetables are the smallest food group in the US at a meal rather than the largest. I never actually processed this before I went back. Who knew I would miss veggies so much?
Americans are jam up great drivers, all things considered. The average person is a courteous driver, not in a hurry (mind you I'm talking most not all) and law abiding for the most part. Wow, so not used to that. When I got back here, I found myself flinching while on the road again. After two days I've adjusted but the differences in road courtesy boggle the mind. I wonder if the fact that there are NO woman drivers here contributes to the general nuttiness on the roads. I think perhaps it might but it's no a provable hypothesis until they actually allow female drivers here.
Popular culture is everywhere in the US. Television, radio, and billboards assault your senses wherever you go. I found myself looking at US news (a lot) and found the reporting to be thoroughly lacking in both breadth and objectivity. The conclusions I had reached before about the media seemed to be well founded. There is simply NO news about the rest of the world except for sound bites. I did go to see a movie and it was nice to sit and munch popcorn in the dark however, just the opposite of what I thought would happen, happened. My expectations about what a movie ought to be have increased. I thought I would be able to watch about anything and be happy but in truth, if I was going to give up 2 hours of my life, I found I wanted bang for my buck; after all, I can never get those 2 hours back again. Being able to station surf on the radio was kind of cool...at one point I was in the car for several hours (actually several times) and I actually left the radio on scan for about 30 minutes; all those stations and nothing to listen to, but just the sheer fact that I had all those choices, wow.
One of my most profound moments came in church. I really wanted to stand up and tell everyone there that they just take a simple thing, like going to church, totally for granted. I live in a place where there are no competing theologies and just the ability to go to church was one of the highlights of my trip home. I was seriously almost moved to tears just because I was there.
Did I love spending time with friends and family? Absolutely and it was like I had never been away; I just slipped right back into the groove. My life back in the US was somehow frozen in time, like a book that you put down for a few weeks and when you start to read again, the story simply continues and yet, at the same time, unlike a book, so many things changed. I truly miss everyone back in the states and it was wonderful to see them all and sometimes a little weird to know that life just continued on without us. I'm probably explaining it rather badly. I guess I have a new found realization about how the threads that become the fabric of our lives interweave with each other and how the pattern you were sure was permanent is really ever changing. OK, way too much philosophy.
I now realize, that the question, "Where are you from?" has way too many possible answers to give a response without clarifying questions. Where was I born, or where do I live now, or where is my permanent home are three that spring to mind and since they are all thousands of miles apart, it makes a difference. I once read that you can always tell an ex-pat because they cannot answer the "where are you from" inquiry with ease. I now now know how true it is.
Among other random thoughts that passed through my mind are that food portions are cultural. Large portions and "all you can eat" are definitively American. It just had not occurred to me that I was used to eating much less food at a sitting until I returned. Another related food fact is that vegetables are the smallest food group in the US at a meal rather than the largest. I never actually processed this before I went back. Who knew I would miss veggies so much?
Americans are jam up great drivers, all things considered. The average person is a courteous driver, not in a hurry (mind you I'm talking most not all) and law abiding for the most part. Wow, so not used to that. When I got back here, I found myself flinching while on the road again. After two days I've adjusted but the differences in road courtesy boggle the mind. I wonder if the fact that there are NO woman drivers here contributes to the general nuttiness on the roads. I think perhaps it might but it's no a provable hypothesis until they actually allow female drivers here.
Popular culture is everywhere in the US. Television, radio, and billboards assault your senses wherever you go. I found myself looking at US news (a lot) and found the reporting to be thoroughly lacking in both breadth and objectivity. The conclusions I had reached before about the media seemed to be well founded. There is simply NO news about the rest of the world except for sound bites. I did go to see a movie and it was nice to sit and munch popcorn in the dark however, just the opposite of what I thought would happen, happened. My expectations about what a movie ought to be have increased. I thought I would be able to watch about anything and be happy but in truth, if I was going to give up 2 hours of my life, I found I wanted bang for my buck; after all, I can never get those 2 hours back again. Being able to station surf on the radio was kind of cool...at one point I was in the car for several hours (actually several times) and I actually left the radio on scan for about 30 minutes; all those stations and nothing to listen to, but just the sheer fact that I had all those choices, wow.
One of my most profound moments came in church. I really wanted to stand up and tell everyone there that they just take a simple thing, like going to church, totally for granted. I live in a place where there are no competing theologies and just the ability to go to church was one of the highlights of my trip home. I was seriously almost moved to tears just because I was there.
Did I love spending time with friends and family? Absolutely and it was like I had never been away; I just slipped right back into the groove. My life back in the US was somehow frozen in time, like a book that you put down for a few weeks and when you start to read again, the story simply continues and yet, at the same time, unlike a book, so many things changed. I truly miss everyone back in the states and it was wonderful to see them all and sometimes a little weird to know that life just continued on without us. I'm probably explaining it rather badly. I guess I have a new found realization about how the threads that become the fabric of our lives interweave with each other and how the pattern you were sure was permanent is really ever changing. OK, way too much philosophy.
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