Moseying all the way there

Living here almost a year and a half, it’s amazing what’s not amazing anymore.

Last night, I went to a surprise birthday party for a fellow foreigner across the bay. Wearing Garbanzo in his carrier, I had to walk to my neighborhood bus stop, stand on a crowded bus, get off and walk across a very busy intersection, and run to the boat dock to catch the ferry in time. They only leave once an hour, and if I were to miss it, I’d miss the “surprise” bit of the party.

Then I rode the 20 minute ferry, and waited at the dock for my friend with a car to pick me up. We then found a parking space, walked quite a distance, and finally made it to the party location.

All the while, Garbanzo slept, we sweated buckets, and we both commented that none of this was weird anymore. Sure, it’s still foreign, but we’re accustomed to it. It no longer stresses us out.

After the party, I got on the ferry at 10 p.m., then caught a bus, and rode it to my neighborhood, where I then walked home. Garbanzo cooed happily in his carrier the whole way home, where he finally conked out on my chest about 10:45.

It’s still not fun to expect at least an hour to get anywhere. But I’m used to it now. It will be weird to go to the States and meet a friend for lunch in 10 minutes.