i'm alive. yes, i've been MIA from the blogosphere for quite some time now (i believe my last post was in october? oops), but i'm back now. i've just settled into an apartment in the ballston area of arlington, va with a lovely view of interstate 66 and i start teaching 3rd grade full-time on monday. yes, as my sister says, i'm becoming a grown-up lady (sort of).
i got back from italy in late july, 2011 and have been flitting about the globe (of course) since. i visited some friends in new york, california and then i took a road trip through alaska and canada. in early october, i embarked upon an epic southeast asia adventure with longtime friend, A. i was gallivanting 12 time zones away for 6 weeks and returned just before thanksgiving.
and i've been in the states ever since. that means i've been in america for 62 whole days - the longest period of time without leaving the country in about a year and half. and oh man, am i still adjusting. here is a short list of some things i haven't quite gotten used to again in the past 62 days.
my iPhone: in italy, i had a cell phone. but only about 10 people had my number and i worked with all of them which meant there were very few reasons to actually call or message me. that communication situation is drastically different than my current situation where my sister sends novels via text message (complete with pictures) and my mom likes to talk on the phone once a day. apologies abound because i'm just not used to people calling me! also, when i do use it, my usage skills are mediocre at best. i'm almost certain that it doesn't reach its full potential. i did have an ipod touch in my travels last year that i used quite well but something about adding the telephone capabilities have blown my mind. i DO, however, have a neon yellow case for my phone, which makes me love it.
grocery stores: now, i love the grocery store. i usually take a list with me but don't consult it very often because i love to go up and down every aisle and check out the selection. when it comes to actually putting something in my basket, however, the anxiety sets in. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OPTIONS?! i've started reading the ingredients in everything for comparative purposes, thus, adding to the amount of time i need on each aisle. and it doesn't really help me choose what to buy because almost all the labels include some chemically-sounding something that i have never heard of and couldn't try to pronounce if i wanted to. do i really want to eat that?! so i usually end up choosing something that i'm less-than-thrilled about consuming and then i'm just unhappy. now you're probably wondering how i have time to go through this process every time i need to buy some food. i don't!! and i'm rarely completely satisfied with something i've bought, so it's not like i have go-to items that i can run in and grab. i just don't know what to eat anymore. for the record, comparable anxiety hits me in similar stores such as CVS, walmart, and target. it's awful (anecdotal tangent: my first day back in america last july, i was in target trying to buy shampoo. i left the store in tears - and without shampoo - because i got so stressed out. very traumatic).
and i've been in the states ever since. that means i've been in america for 62 whole days - the longest period of time without leaving the country in about a year and half. and oh man, am i still adjusting. here is a short list of some things i haven't quite gotten used to again in the past 62 days.
my iPhone: in italy, i had a cell phone. but only about 10 people had my number and i worked with all of them which meant there were very few reasons to actually call or message me. that communication situation is drastically different than my current situation where my sister sends novels via text message (complete with pictures) and my mom likes to talk on the phone once a day. apologies abound because i'm just not used to people calling me! also, when i do use it, my usage skills are mediocre at best. i'm almost certain that it doesn't reach its full potential. i did have an ipod touch in my travels last year that i used quite well but something about adding the telephone capabilities have blown my mind. i DO, however, have a neon yellow case for my phone, which makes me love it.
grocery stores: now, i love the grocery store. i usually take a list with me but don't consult it very often because i love to go up and down every aisle and check out the selection. when it comes to actually putting something in my basket, however, the anxiety sets in. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OPTIONS?! i've started reading the ingredients in everything for comparative purposes, thus, adding to the amount of time i need on each aisle. and it doesn't really help me choose what to buy because almost all the labels include some chemically-sounding something that i have never heard of and couldn't try to pronounce if i wanted to. do i really want to eat that?! so i usually end up choosing something that i'm less-than-thrilled about consuming and then i'm just unhappy. now you're probably wondering how i have time to go through this process every time i need to buy some food. i don't!! and i'm rarely completely satisfied with something i've bought, so it's not like i have go-to items that i can run in and grab. i just don't know what to eat anymore. for the record, comparable anxiety hits me in similar stores such as CVS, walmart, and target. it's awful (anecdotal tangent: my first day back in america last july, i was in target trying to buy shampoo. i left the store in tears - and without shampoo - because i got so stressed out. very traumatic).
driving: i'm not totally sure what the problem is here but i know that i didn't used to dislike driving as much as i do now. i've told you before that driving is not my preferred method of long-distance travel, but now i just don't like it ever. i'm annoyed by needing to drive my car anywhere. if i'm going somewhere close-ish, i want to walk; but people don't do that here - everyone drives everywhere. it's nonsense. this is more a cause of annoyance than something i'm not good at (not to say i'm an excellent driver, let's be serious).
in the coming weeks, as i'm continuing to adjust to life in america (and so close to the nation's capital!) and settling into my pseudo-grown-up-lady life, i'm going to be updating this here blog with things i left out of my travels last fall and even last year while i was in europe. it will be all kinds of nostalgic to reminisce about travels and life last year especially as the weather here is so, well, january.
so, get excited because it's going to be fun!
x
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