About Me
- Kristi
- The Boy, 2 Muttleys and I have finally realized our dream of living 1 mile from the Lindt Chocolate Factory. Leaving Atlanta (the World of Coke) for Zurich (the World of Chocolate) hasn't come without challenges, incredible fun or giggles. Follow along as I chronicle our adventures as we acclimate to this new Swiss lifestyle.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
What is your "Thing"?
Before you say "none of your beeswax, my thing is "A", you are "B", so "C" your way outta here"...hear me out. I am not talking body parts, k? I believe every Expat has a "thing", something that keeps you connected to where you came from. It is that one comfort you long for. It could be something tangible like a particular store (come on, we all miss Target!) or something intangible like communication:
Me: "Ich hatte gern blahty blah" (I would gladly like to have blahty blah)
Salesperson: "Ok, would you like blahty blah to go?" (Ok, would you like blahty blah to go?)
Me: "Sheisse! Du sprichst fricken English, weil meine Deutsch so schlecht ist" (Poop! You are speaking fricken English, because my German is so bad)
Salesperson: "It is just easier, there is a long line behind you... so giddy up cowgirl" (no translation needed unfortunately)
I suppose you could have more than one "thing", I know I do. In addition to wanting the ability to communicate, I want me some bacon.
You think I jest, but I am dead serious about my unhealthy obsession with bacon. I firmly believe my heart and stomach are connected...I was born to love food and the best seasoning, side dish, strip of something, is bacon. I mentioned missing my fave food to another Expat 3 months ago or so. She looked at me like I was Whitney Houston after a crack binge and exclaimed "There is bacon here!". Needless to say I in turn looked at her like she was Whitney Houston on crack because at that point in time, I had only found Speck. There is a very good reason it rhymes with "heck": "Speck? That is no Bacon, what the heck?"....good thing it wasn't named "Spuck".
Then last week divine intervention happened. While I was looking for a less lame package of Speck, I decided to turn the corner and I caught a glimpse of something familiar. It was thick cut, it was happy, it spoke to me...it was BACON! I didn't even need to fry it in a pan to know it was bacon. I think the feeling I had would be similar to meeting with a long lost blood relative, something about it felt "familiar".
So the point of all this bacon talk is this: Expats have a "thing" or multiple "things" that they long for and can't seem to find in their new home. Is it homesickness? Is it an umbilical cord keeping them connected to their homeland? Whatever it is, it is totally benign, totally normal and it doesn't mean you are failing as an Expat.
Now that I found one of my "things" here, it undoubtedly needs to be replaced. I am not sure what my new "thing" will be but I have a trip to the States coming up, so I am sure I will learn what it is soon enough.
So what is your "thing"? What is that something familiar that keeps you connected to your homeland?
This post was written for AffordableCallingCards.net, a community linking Expats and soon to be Expats. In addition to being a great source of Expat information, they offer affordable calling cards, keeping you connected.
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5 comments:
well, i'm not quite in the same boat as you, and i'm actually officially back in my homeland, so i guess it's what keeps me connected to atlanta: lard, butter, shrimp & grits, biscuits, and finding all new and wonderful resources to buy the foods we love (which i'm happy to report are far more plentiful, unique, and loveable than what we had in milwaukee). and the one thing i haven't seemed to find here is HOT WEATHER. the first summer was hot, but i was also tres pregnant, so i may have misjudged. the past 2 summers have NOT been hot in the least. i used to hate hot weather, but now i find i need just a little bit of it. keeping my fingers crossed for this year.
err, that should say 'than what we had in atlanta.' i blame my 2 yr old and the not a lot of sleep we got last night.
Haha, now I understand why all the Swedish expats constantly run to IKEA :-) (and why IKEA is the biggest food exporteur out of Sweden).
Jen, I miss me some hot weather but in two weeks we will be in the ATL. Hopefully the 90 degree weather they seem to be having will stick around long enough for us to enjoy it.
Cristoph, I think ALL expats run to IKEA, but I can see it being a Swedish Expat's "thing".
Wait, so where did you find bacon? This is amazing! For anyone who hasn't talked to Kristi in person for more than 10 minutes, the existence of bacon in Zurich is like the rest of us finding water on the moon. It makes it habitable. You should hear about the lengths people went to get bacon to her and this whole time it was right down the strasse?!
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