Switching normals

As I was packing last week for our summer in the States, I was pulling out clothes that I hadn’t worn in three years and trying them on to see if they still fit.  I put on a skirt that I used to wear all the time.  Not super short, but definitely above the knee… and I felt so naked!  It was such a strange feeling!

It got me thinking about all the mindset switches we’d need to make coming to the States after three years in Lebanon.

- Flip flops are appropriate footwear… always!

- See an old friend?  Don’t go in for the kiss!

- Strange men kissing and taking pictures of Isla… not okay.  Also, eating candy from strangers is probably not the best idea either.

- No cash, no problem…. just pull out the debit card.

- Traffic laws are meant to be obeyed.

- Hoarding is not necessary… if it’s in the grocery store today, it will probably still be there in a week, so no need to buy every jar of applesauce (or chai, or canned pumpkin, or…) on the shelf.

- If the sticker says the cucumbers are 50 cents each…. then the cucumbers are actually 50 cents each.

- If meeting friends for dinner at 6pm… it’s pretty rude to show up at 7.

- Blinking my eyes hard isn’t communicating what I think it is (“yes”).

- If I want to watch a YouTube video, no need to wash all the dishes while waiting for it to load. (Instant gratification!  Wow!)