There were many times I fantasized about taking a Yemeni back home in order to show them what life could be like. I always imagined that they would have been a bit overwhelmed by everything. The green everywhere, the variance in the weather, the different kinds of food, women you can see, etc. I wondered how they would take it all in. I think I have an idea now.
My father asked me to pick some things up at the grocery store on my way over to his place. I hadn’t driven in 6 months, it felt good to get behind the wheel again. Everything seemed so orderly, as if something was directing everything, and it was so quiet. I still haven’t heard a single horn since I got back. The intersections were particularly impressive. Everyone waited their turn and there wasn’t any question when people should go across.
I got to the grocery store and was blown away. This happened to me the last time I came back as well. There’s something about grocery stores here, there’s just so much of everything. I was sent to get some corn. i ended up wandering through the fruits and vegetables for about 10 minutes looking for the corn. I eventually asked someone where it was, it turns out that I had been looking at it the entire time but I hadn’t seen it. I then went looking for some potato salad with similar results. The deli section quite literally stunned me.
It was a sad thing, but I really was overwhelmed by the place. I’m still marveling over the flora, I can’t get enough of the trees and the grass that’s everywhere. I’m sure this will wear off in a little while, but all of these little things are really throwing me for a loop. With any luck, my system will get used to this again soon.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s all quite nice but I’m having some difficulty processing all of this. It’s as if my brain has been reset. I’ll try not to go crazy in the land of plenty…