Adjusting

to adjust - to adapt or become used to a new situation; small alterations or movements so as to allow a desired fit, appearance, result to be achieved.


Honestly, the last 11 days have really been a blur. Slowly I'm adjusting. Driving came back like riding a bike. You never forget it. You just have to rebuild your confidence to do it. I've been spending time with family which has been incredibly good, especially after not seeing everyone for almost a year and a half. My parents are convinced I should live with them forever. It's not going to happen but they like to dream. It's definitely nice to be surrounded by the familiar.

What I can't get over are all the options. In Hungary, you sort of limit yourself to a few things that you find and enjoy (I'm talking about sweets). But here in the US, there are Oreo cookies and Red Vines. This is when self-control kicks in. Also, it makes me laugh when I see commercials or products in the store that are just a variation of something else and people buy it. For example something that normally came in one flavor and now comes in 10 other flavors too. We are definitely a consumer society. Not sure that's good or bad but I must say, I'm not as much of a sucker for all these new contraptions now that I've lived without them for a few years.

Just give me the simple life. That's all I want, really. I've been thinking about growing a garden (although I don't have a green thumb or a back yard to speak of). Then, you wouldn't have to mess with what's organic or not. I don't know. I just want the simple life. Where there's good (natural - not boxed and tasting like plastic) food, friends and family, and good health. I'd also like to learn how to sew and as much as possible, ride my bike versus drive the car. That's environmentally friendly, don't you think?

So, after 11 days, I still find myself toggling between my every day experiences in Hungary and the normal experiences here.

My biggest adjustment has come at the grocery store. I thought I'd share a little of what goes on in my brain as I enter the grocery store.

Carts. Going to the grocery store in Hungary you put a coin in and unlock the cart and get it back when you're done shopping. You never just walk into the store without grabbing a basket or a cart to put things in or people will suspect you are going to steal something. Here in the US, you don't have to use either if you just want to get an item and bring it to the checkout line. Small adjustment, but it's mental.

Vegetables. In Hungary, I had to get used to taking each vegetable you buy and putting it on a weigher and punching in the code or the picture to get a price. They don't do it for you at the checkout line. In Hungary, if you show up to the checkout counter without it, you will have problems. Believe me. It happened a few times. You can't buy it unless you get the right code on there too. It's different at the small grocers on the corner, but this is how they do it in the grocery stores. Here in the US, just pick out your veggies and bring it to the checkout counter. They do all the work for you. Although I like it, I got used to working harder in the grocery store! haha....another mental adjustment.

Bagging Groceries. You bag your own groceries in Hungary and you have to do it quickly, sort of like Winco here in Reno. They won't wait for you to get it together. You can dump it all in a cart and move to a loading section if you'd like but you've got to be quick about it. Lots of people bring their backpacks or some cloth bags and are quite environmentally friendly whereas here in the US, they bag it all for you, but it's in plastic bags. So, as a good environmentalist, I brought my cloth bags in a few times and said, I'd like to put the groceries in there. They do it for you. Another mental adjustment.

I know these sound like silly little things and it can't be bad to have life feel a bit "easier" in that respect, but it's amazing how your brain adjusts to whatever circumstances you are in and you have to get used to whatever environment you find yourself in at the time. So, I'm adjusting, slowly but surely.