things i don't like

(adapted from Robert L. Kohls: Survival Kit for Overseas Living)
click on the picture for a larger view you can read :)

the first several weeks or months you live in a new culture, you literally have a “honeymoon period” where everything seems amazing.  you see the best in every event and bit of culture around you.  experts also say that after several months of living in a new culture, you start to recognize all the little things you don’t actually like.  the funny thing is, the same kind of process happens when you reenter your home culture.  i left the honeymoon period of entering the States months ago and am well into the period of time when lots of little things all add up and bug me.  from previous experience, i’ve learned that sometimes making a list of these things, acknowledging them, and then (hopefully) moving on past my selfish nature seems to help.  so here goes.

shipping costs.  i order pictures.  or a book.  or materials for partnership to give to all of you.  and then i find out that in addition to the cost of my $4 order, i’m paying $8-$10 just to get it to my house.  now sometimes i know that i’m really still saving about $20 of what it would cost me in any store, and that makes it all a little more ok.  but really?  sometimes this add-on is just annoying.  (at the same time, i feel a little guilty about this complaint, as i know if i was in the land of tanz, i would not only be paying shipping to get it to my parent’s house, but also shipping to get it to tanz, and then another 20 bucks or so to get it into the country.  but, you know, i thought i'd add it anyway since it really is bugging me.)

new menus.  let’s be honest.  during the past two years, i literally thought about, longed for, and dreamed of particular dishes or meals at restaurants that just didn’t exist in tanzania.  and then i came home excited to finally get it… and find the restaurant has changed their menu.  really?  not cool.  such restaurants should really think about people like me and keep the same menu for years on end… while only adding amazing new dishes and getting rid of the strange ones no one really likes.

getting said dish (or experience) and it just not being as good as i imagined.  the thing is, after longing for, dreaming of, thinking about this amazing dish, movie, or thing for long enough, i eventually convinced myself that if i only had it, everything would be ok.  life would be complete.  my joy would be overflowing and nothing could be better.  and then, when i get it, it’s just not as great as i imagined.  seriously. disappointing.  or, my body stands up in complete protest to all the non-freshness and it just doesn’t settle well. 

africa.  it’s not a country.  just sayin’. :)

things that change.  i’m convinced that someone needs to be keeping a list of relevant changes and details for every person that goes to live in another country, so they can reacclimate to their “homeland” more fluidly upon return.  seriously.  i know that the law stating you can’t text and drive happened the month after i left, but it’s hard when i get back after two years for people to catch me up on everything important.  and yet, if i don’t know such things, people either just think i'm strange, or i literally break the law.  and that’s just really not ok either.  (don't worry.  this was one fact my mom remembered to tell me early on... and considering that i'm actually driving faster than the normal 15km/hr that i get to go in dar, i really wouldn't want to text and drive anyway.  it's just the principal of the matter.)

credit cards.  this one's more of a love/hate relationship.  i love using a card because i get a nice printed list at the end of the month and i can actually keep track and know where my money is going.  at the same time, i still find myself getting up to cash registers and fumbling with my card... either trying to run it through the machine backwards, or forgetting that i need to sign the slip, or hit the "accept" or something. and then being really embarrassed.  because honestly, who lives in the states and doesn't know how to use a credit card? 

holidays.  don't get me wrong.  i love holidays.  i love getting together with family, taking a bit of a break, and enjoying what is important.  i even love random holidays in tanzania that always take me by surprise because i forget that they're coming.  the issue is holidays in stores, in the states.  i walked into walmart today and was shocked to realize that on this third day of january there are rows upon rows of valentines cards and candy on sale.  you've got to be kidding.  will the candy even be good by valentine's day?  will it even remain uneaten that long?  and then there's the christmas decorations that went up at the beginning of november... but we'll just not mention that.

(p.s. there are some rare occasions and days when such rules as punctuation and capital letters need to be neglected.  this is one of those days.  my deepest apologies to my english teacher friends, my mom, and all my super-amazing linguist friends who take such things seriously.  i'll try to do better tomorrow.)