The other day I was at the grocery store when I realised, "This is totally normal. Nothing is foreign or out of place anymore." Not the shelf stockers who stock shelves during business hours and make it impossible to push a trolley down the aisle, not the floor moppers who turn grocery shopping into an obstacle course, not the police arresting people over by the ATM machines, and not even the citronella candles sitting in between the bread loaves to keep the flies away.
While you may detect a hint of irritation in my voice (and it's true - I will probably always compare grocery shopping between my home and host countries), on the whole I have made progress. I have accepted that it is what it is. And I am grateful to be here.
2 comments:
I am glad you have found a new "normal". I remember going to Pick 'n Pay for the first time and I was about in tears. We had been going to the local Spar, so the sheer number of items was overwhelming, but I remember feeling so lost and alone. Who knew a trip to the grocery store could bring out so many emotions!
That's why I love visiting Peru; I feel more at home in the grocery stores and tiendas.
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