East to West

We started in Armenia, and slowly made our way west.  For me, this trip acted as a slow re-integration back into western society—a way of easing the transition after being abroad in a very different culture for two years. 

First we saw more supermarkets—no longer were they only to be found in capital cities.  Our first visit to a real supermarket (I believe it was in Romania) was unreal for me.  Will had to keep saying “no” as I pointed to things I hadn’t seen in two years.  While I didn’t get lost, it was kind of a close call—so many isles, so many foods… Sadly, peanut butter continued to be an elusive product.

People riding bikes—both for practicality and for fun.  Once we hit Ukraine, bikes were no longer in the sole possession of children.

Women drivers.  And, more than that, women drivers who had men riding in the backseat. 

Women drinking at cafés.  In Romania we saw a woman with a young girl.  While the girl played in the little sandbox, her mother sat, drank a beer, and smoked a cigarette.  And no one thought it was weird.

Well maintained roads—even small ones with few cars.

More travelers—backpackers on trains, mostly.  Less curiosity about us, even when we were in small towns.

Stricter and stricter rules on camping, that were more and more enforced, the further west we got.

More English. More Americans.

The changes were sometimes subtle, but definitely there.  Now that we’ve been back in the States for almost a month, there are things that still trip me up—shopping in stores, for example.  Even though we did this throughout Europe, for some reason here it’s just different, and occasionally a cause for some anxiety.  After peeing on the side of roads for two months, and in squatty-potties for two years, I don’t understand the complaints I hear about the public bathrooms here.  At first I felt so uncomfortable here—like everyone else had gotten a memo on how to behave and how to act and I was out of the loop.  I, quite honestly, couldn’t wait to get back away to where I at least knew things would be weird and strange.  But now that I’ve had some time to adjust, the great things about being home are coming out.  All the friends and family stuff, for sure—but I’m talking more the endless supplies of peanut butter.