5 Months: Update

So, I read somewhere, once upon a time, that there is a typical pattern in expat life. For the first three months of living in a foreign country, a person runs on adrenaline, excitement, and novelty. "We live in a place with castles! Nom, nom, Rittersport! Ooh, look at that! Ooooh, look at THAT! Adventure! Wowowowowowow!" It's kind of like riding a roller coaster hopped up on way too much caffeine: over-stimulating, a little scary, but thrilling.

And then you hit months four through six.

And even though you still live in a place with castles and 25 flavors of Rittersport, you start to feel glum. You're a little tired of things being weird. You're a little tired of feeling frustrated. You're really beginning to wrap your head around the idea that you've agreed to stay in this new place for (x) number of years, and there's some part of you that is... perturbed. That part of you doesn't care if they have castles, or Rittersport, or a castle built entirely out of Rittersport. That part of you just wants to stop feeling like an idiot.

Cuz, folks, I feel like an idiot. Frequently.

Sometimes, I don't care. Like the other day, when I walked the 2.5 kilometers to the local grocery store in my exercise clothes and was openly stared at by well-dressed European business people. Answer: stare back until they look away, and then smirk my smirky success to my smirky self.

Other times, I'm embarrassed. Like with the German doorbell incident. Yeah...

But the most frustrating moments are when I start to feel like all the little screw ups are having an overall detrimental effect on my ability to problem solve. Guys, it's scary. Like, going to visit a friend who recently had a baby. I have been to her house numerous times before. She buzzes me in, but the door won't budge. So I ring up a second time, and she buzzes me in again. Still no door movement. So, she has to leave her sleeping newborn, come down the elevator, and let me in. At which point, I finally remember that you have to PUSH her door to enter.

Think that's not that bad?

I went to visit that same friend in the hospital a few weeks prior to the "push incident" and called from the lobby to find out which room. I hung up with a cheery, "Be right up!" and got on the elevator. Twenty minutes later, I was still wandering the halls, trying to read the floormap by the fire escape, totally baffled as to why the lights were so dim, the halls were deserted, and all the doors were locked. When I finally swallowed my pride and called for help, my friend informed me that I'd gotten off on the first floor (instead of the third, as directed). Which meant I was currently skulking around with a large-ish gift bag on the labor/delivery floor. No wonder all the doors were locked. I'm surprised security didn't try to escort me out of the building for trying to steal a baby.

Also, my friend must think I am the MOST spatially-challenged person she has ever met.

Russ and I recently spent a few weeks back in the States, and the hardest thing about coming back, the thing that made me want to somehow drag my heels down the runway, was the knowledge that returning to Lux would mean surrendering my feeling of capability. I was going back to the land of feeling foolish, and I wasn't exactly thrilled.

Happily, there is a light at the end of tunnel.

According to that same source that described the early highs and lows, after month six, most expats tend to level out. They're no longer riding the crazy high, but they are also less likely to feel like they've doomed themselves to several years of self-flagellation. In short, they get real, and they get on with things.

So, here I am at month five, hoping, hoping that I soon find my version of level. I'm really looking forward to that light at the end of the tunnel. Let's just hope I don't encounter any doors or elevators before I get there.

Here's a bunch of pictures from our whirlwind trip through the western United States:

We joked that we were alternating visiting people and eating our favorite foods, including, but not limited to pho from Oh Mai in SLC, square ice cream cones in Swan Valley, ID, take-out from Thai Tom in Seattle's U District, corn on the cob, and greasy, fabulous American pizza.

Not a great shot, I know, but one of my favorite parts of the trip was the afternoon I got to spend at my school. I miss this place and these people on a daily basis, so it was so nice that our trip coincided with NSA's 10th Anniversary celebration. I got to see friends and former students, and it was incredibly nice to be back in those hallways again. While in SLC, I also got to spend some quality time with two of my siblings and attend a fun throwback concert.

Hiking with my parents (and their dog) in the Idaho mountains. Looks like home to me! Love you!

Next stop was Seattle, where we stayed with our friends the Casteels so Russ could attend a work summit. And because we like the Casteels. A lot.

And then on to California where we attended a baptism, visited Russ's family, checked out Kiernan's new house, and swam in the backyard pool.

​Congratulations, Carly!

Fun at the Echo Summit cabin.

Things I miss about the USA: 1-800-Contacts, the mailman leaving packages at your house, "So You Think You Can Dance," and corn on the cob.

#update #star #travel