Summer is always an odd time for me. I spend much of the year pining for the conveniences of life in the US, the comfort of knowing how things work, where to go, and how to get things done. And then when I come home again, nothing is quite as I imagined it to be.
I feel like I’m in some sort of parallel universe where things *look* the same but are not quite what they seem.
For instance, I rented a car for our week at the NJ coast. When we got the car, it was running and ready to go so we all climbed in and drove away. It wasn’t until I parked the car in NJ that I realized it didn’t actually have a key – just a plastic stump that fit into the dashboard. A car without a key? And the stump was covered with various electronic buttons to lock / unlock the car. So tell me, what happens when the battery that I presume is in the stump runs down and it no longer works to get you in the car? Is that what the “panic” button is for?? Call me old fashioned, but I want a metal key, windows with a hand crank, and pull button locks.
And the stores! The grocery store where I normally shop in Cairo is perhaps the size of a convenience store, yet it has most of the stuff I require. I can do my weekly shop in about 15 minutes and it only takes me that long if the deli guy is dawdling. The grocery stores here seem ENORMOUS to me now. Miles and miles of aisles, acres of choices. It seem so odd to me now. Why is there an entire aisle for chips? Soda? Even picking out a jar of peanut butter can be a challenge where there are so many varieties to choose from beyond just chunky or smooth.
I won’t go into how stupid I feel when I get to the checkout counter and don’t know how to work the credit card swipe. Or how much I hate the electronic signature pad.
I’m not the only one who’s feeling the differences either. My kids have grown up in a part of the world without quite so much. They watch the same TV programs on our satellite package but without the commercials – so they have no built in defense against the marketing. They see a box of cereal with a picture of Hannah Montana or Lighting McQueen on it and they want it desperately – no matter what the flavor. I can tune all that out, but they stop every two steps because cartoon characters decorate every concievable product.
Part of the challenge of shopping is actually trying to tell them “no, you can’t have that” while also trying to scan the miles of shelves for the things I actually do want among all the things I don’t need.
Fortunately, I have left the big cities behind for now and am now in the woods of northern Minnesota. The grocery store is a reasonable size and there are no malls. Grocery shopping will be a little less nerve wracking.
Just because I’m on vacation doesn’t mean that I won’t be around. And don’t forget to stop by this weekend when Nancy Hunter will be my Friday Feature.
Overwhelmed?
Boys quit asking for “stuff” while shopping for necessities a long time ago.
Personally, I’d welcome smaller stores and fewer choices of toilet paper.
Good luck!
by susan July 24th, 2008 at 9:19 pmI too, would really go for a smaller store. When I get home from shopping I’m exhausted. And if I have to hit more than one store…
And I don’t do malls at all. Welcome to stateside!
by anny cook July 25th, 2008 at 12:10 pmIf it helps any, even those of us who are used to enormous grocery stores find shopping there nerve wracking.
There is such a thing as too much choice. Just wait until you need to choose a shampoo!
Enjoy your trip.
by Elissa July 27th, 2008 at 9:07 pmElissa – the shampoo aisle almost did me in!
by Jenyfer July 28th, 2008 at 1:50 pm