What this blog is mostly about these days is the vast differences between living HERE and living THERE. And yes, it's about three cute little girls. That too.
I attempt to show you the surprising, odd-becoming-new-normal, fun and bothersome ways we live as foreigners here. Despite my irregular blog-posts there is quite a bit to write about. But sometimes I forget some of my culture shock doesn't come from this country or people, but from the fact that I live in a city. Brian spent most of his life in the suburbs. I grew up on an Air Force base, then in pseudo-countryside, finally to settle down in the just-barely-metro-Atlanta suburbs. This 11-million-people thing is new to me.
When you live in a city, at least our city, there are not many wide open spaces. The pools are...well, let's just save that for a different blog post. The grass is non-existent. We only have one store in the city with a parking lot. I'm not exaggerating.
So, when my friend Alison and I were on my apartment building's rooftop watching our kids ride scooters under the laundry lines and the water pipe flooded (how could I make this up?) we let them play in the puddles. "Urban fun," said Alison.
Urban fun comes in walking to the store, seeing the usual street dogs (we named them after ice cream flavors: Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate). In eating a custard apple for the first time (slimy seeds...). In seeing a rat steal from the local market. In "pool parties" on our balcony.
All this everyday life, all this urban fun.
I attempt to show you the surprising, odd-becoming-new-normal, fun and bothersome ways we live as foreigners here. Despite my irregular blog-posts there is quite a bit to write about. But sometimes I forget some of my culture shock doesn't come from this country or people, but from the fact that I live in a city. Brian spent most of his life in the suburbs. I grew up on an Air Force base, then in pseudo-countryside, finally to settle down in the just-barely-metro-Atlanta suburbs. This 11-million-people thing is new to me.
When you live in a city, at least our city, there are not many wide open spaces. The pools are...well, let's just save that for a different blog post. The grass is non-existent. We only have one store in the city with a parking lot. I'm not exaggerating.
So, when my friend Alison and I were on my apartment building's rooftop watching our kids ride scooters under the laundry lines and the water pipe flooded (how could I make this up?) we let them play in the puddles. "Urban fun," said Alison.Urban fun comes in walking to the store, seeing the usual street dogs (we named them after ice cream flavors: Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate). In eating a custard apple for the first time (slimy seeds...). In seeing a rat steal from the local market. In "pool parties" on our balcony.
All this everyday life, all this urban fun.
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