Americanness… it can be a doozy

We’ve rented a car for the weekend, and in about two hours it will be delivered to our front doorstep.  It’s rather pricey, but from everyone we’ve talked to, it’s completely worth it in terms of what you get done when setting up a house from scratch.  It takes about an hour one-way to get to IKEA from our place using public transport.  If you add another hour for going home, plus needing to get a two-year-old down for an afternoon nap (especially today - she woke up at 7:30 a.m. after going to bed at 10:30 p.m.), the end result is not a very productive day.

Which is, after all, how we rate how well our day went, as Americans.  I don’t think of myself as a “typical” American back in the States - I’m not much of a rat-racer, I enjoy a slower pace of life, and for many things I’d rather do the “from scratch” method.  But I’m finding that here, I’m getting a run for my money when it comes to relaxing.  I noticed yesterday that no one eats or drinks on the run.  If people are drinking coffee, it’s in a ceramic cup and saucer in a café.  If they’re having lunch, it’s at a small restaurant where, if they ordered sodas, it’s a reasonable non-diabetic-inducing size.  And while I love that, I’m learning that I need to do some time-oriented detoxing in my life.  Two days ago we received our master bed mattress and most of our appliances from a delivery service.  We were told that getting that much done in one day was a huge deal.  Hmm.

So I’m learning about patience right now.  In my heart of hearts, I hope that this weekend proves productive, while we’re spending money on a car.  But I know I need to relax, and to be okay with getting one-forth of my American to-do list crossed off.  It really, truly is okay if it takes a month to get our home to a livable state - in the meantime, I’ll soak up the culture and learn how to adapt.

Another lesson for me…  Kabob and I both are realizing how much aesthetics mean to us when it comes to our home.  We have a particular style, and thank goodness, on most things we agree.  However, it seems like it doesn’t completely mesh with the culture.  I really can’t complain, because for the most part, furniture choices and home set-up options run plentiful.  But I’ve noticed that we gravitate towards minimalism, with a hint of ecclecticism, and the culture here prefers…  well, more gaudiness than we prefer.  And of course, we want a home that the people here would want to come to, and for that, we are willing to die to ourselves.  (And I realize it’s rather silly to even consider this “dying to ourselves” - in mean, in light of eternity, who cares about design aesthetics?)

But at the same time, since IKEA is here, doesn’t that mean it’s culturally okay to furnish much of our home from there?  I mean, it’s not like we’re lugging it all over from the States.  I realize I’m rambling now…  My point is, I’m learning to shrug my shoulders, say “it’s only furniture,” and go with the flow - while still claiming stock in my personality and acknowledging that it’s perfectly okay to care about feeling at home in your own place.

As I look back at my posts since we’ve arrived, I see that they’re all about our place of residence.  My apologies.  But that’s literally all we’ve done so far, and it might be all we do for the next few weeks.  This is apparently typical.  Before we know it, we’ll enter the season of language learning and actually knowing how to meet our neighbors, so my hope is to actually write about things that matter.  I mean, in the long run.  If you get my drift.