It never ceases to amaze me the culture shock I go through upon entering Ohio. Not neccessarily a bad thing, just the preffered general lifestyles of the areas that I visit is somehow always different from whatever area I currently call 'home' at the time of the visit.
A very trivial example is that both my roommates are from India, so we drink tea almost as much if not more so than water. But not just tossing a teabag into some hot water and calling it tea, there is a method of making tea. And they (and our other Indian guests) can tell a difference when the tea is not properly made. The water must be heated, a teabag (or two usually, and always BLACK tea that is not flavored) inserted into the water and allowed to boil for about a minute. Sugar and milk are then mixed in and kept just below a boil so that the milk 'cooks' a little and fully mixes with the tea and the sugar dissolves entirely into the brew.
However, I have reentered the land of Coffee drinkers. Actually that would have happened had I simply stepped outside my doorstep. BUT since I'm in the South (or the boarder of the South or whatever we're calling it) there is always some kind of black tea on hand for sweetened Ice Tea (of which there is also a method for correct brewing) as well as milk and sugar somewhere near so if I must I can scrounge and make tea to my preferences.
BUT here there is skim milk and flavored cream for the coffee. Not bad for what it is bought for (cereal and coffee) but absolutally NOT going to cut it for the correct methods of making real tea.
*sigh* So I'm back to coffee. Not that I mind terribly, I like coffee (incredibly doctored up coffee, that is :-D) but still am adjusting. The thing is, I can tell when I've had too much coffee and so try to limit my consumption, however I can drink as much tea as I want and its fine. In fact, its high in antioxidants, so the more the better. So a positive spin on it is that I'm getting another excercise in self restraint in not drinking three to five cups of coffee like I can with tea.
*sniffle*
Its funny how we get into routines that we don't even realize are there until they are interrupted. I read of a missionary once who was fine traveling anywhere as long as he had wriggley's gum with him. He had grown up chewing on it, and that was what gave him a sense of normalicy. I've noticed that when I'm able to do funny little routines it makes my crazy hither-thither-and-yon travelings feel a little less stressful.
Anyhoo. For those of you going through crazy life seasons or traveling, just thought I'd share for your consideration.
My grandma and I were talking the other day about life seasons. My cousin is also in college and was apparently bemoaning the fact that she was in a four-year long season of transition, didn't really have a HOME to go home to. It was just 'visiting the parents.'
I've been trying to figure out the balance of that same life season. Its a fine balance between declaring and maintaining independance and not falling into self-focused unreliable singleness. Yet telling the difference between the two is not all that easy.
On the one hand, I thought a few months ago I was entering into an entirely different life season. However, whilst talking with my Grandma, I grinned and said, "Isn't it awesome though that we aren't tied down to any one particular place at this age though? I wouldn't want to stay this way forever, but I'm really enjoying being able to be nomadic when I want and stationary when I want and figuring out how to communicate well when I decide to do either." My grandma laughed (she is apparently not in the life season where such lifestyle seems adventureous and attractive) and said yes, it is nice while it lasts and we should enjoy it while we're in that season.
So am heading out west tomorrow. Not entirely sure what to expect as we didn't have an itinerary when last I checked. I know it will involve hard work on the house that is being rebuilt and three and a half opinionated men who have all done this kind of work on houses many times before now. (the 'half' is my brother who has not quite completed the rites of passage into manhood, nor has had as much experience on this work) Looking forward to seeing everyone but am once again wishing that they lived closer so that when I went out there it wasn't like a return from a distant galaxy. Leaving often seems like stepping through a wormhole to travel across space and time, and what makes it worse is the next time of visitation is known to be out there, somewhere, but details and timing of it are as mysterious as the life on the distant planet I'm heading to.
But regardless of that, it will be nice to see everyone.
~Princess Ouch~
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