What Happens in Vegas...

...stays in Vegas. Is that true?
Well, yes and no! If a wedding ring suddenly is being worn after the trip, people are bound to have some clue about what happened!! :-)

Yes, Brian and I recently returned from the destination wedding of our daughter! Of course it was a wonderful time and a beautiful wedding. She did excellent planning and it all seemed to go off without a hitch. She only got nervous those last few minutes before walking down the aisle. During the ceremony, the smallest of "missteps" was when Brian's cell phone went off! Oops! To give him a break, he was out of the room with the Bride when we were all reminded to turn phones off.
On a side, personal note, I wondered about the potential awkwardness with Brian's ex-in-laws attending. Of course they would be there, that's a given. But this would be the first time I'd have any significant interaction with them. I had no reason to be concerned. I didn't feel any tension; they were easy to talk to and all seemed fine. I think everyone appreciated that (me, not the least of them!).

I had never been to Vegas before. We arrived 5 days prior to the wedding and stayed 2 days after. Wow! I'm glad we got there early, not only so we could spend a couple of days hanging out with the bridal couple,

but also to get over culture shock! I was not ignorant of the stereotypes of Vegas. Some were well deserved, others not so much. For me, two things stood out and required some adjusting. The sheer number of people was the first! Our trip did occur during spring break season so that accounts for a significant population increase. The great number of options to do, so many buildings and their expansive interiors helped. Because of this, I only felt like a cow being herded when on the streets or exterior walkways. At the end of the day, after so much walking, I felt my irritation rise when someone would just stop in the middle of the sidewalk to check a text or something. With that many people moving en masse it's hard to avoid a crash! More than likely, I was also on the way to my hotel and didn't want my way impeded!! 
Secondly, the Disneyland feel on an even larger scale was surprising - very cool! Each hotel/casino had a different theme and architecture which was modeled after various international destinations. I have to say I was impressed with the money and attention to detail each one put into their buildings.

As a former architect I expected to feel like it was cheesy or just too fakey, but the opposite was true. Maybe I just miss Europe so the reminders were fun, although I liked New York, New York as well.

Anyway, the trip was fun albeit exhausting! I'm glad to have had the experience of Las Vegas and of course I wouldn't have missed the wedding for anything!

East vs. West

The battle of the coasts. Before I launch into a discussion about cultural differences, I hope everyone bears in mind that stereotypes are gross generalizations which have a basis in fact or they wouldn't have become a stereotype. However, no convention of this type is true across the board. There are always layers, derivations, and definite exceptions. The United States is big; we can't deny the "regions" within it. I have a friend who was born and raised on the east coast. In fact, she lives there to this day. When she heard I was moving to "her" side of the country (my term not hers!), she found the concept difficult to imagine. For her, it was easy and enjoyable to visit the west coast but she didn't think she could ever make the switch. And this comes from a woman who has lived in The Netherlands, Hungary, Greece and Albania to name a few places!

On the other hand, since it was Florida in particular, I reasoned the differences would be minimized. I never saw Florida as fully east coast, nor did I consider it part of the deep south. It was neutral in my mind and rather nondescript. Silly me!

The west coast has it's own stereotype, I know. California takes that image even further. Although I have to say that the typical image of California applies more generally to southern California - image obsession, plastic, tanned, and liberal. There is no doubt that I am a product of the west coast environs (Washington in specific), where the living is laid back, recycling is nearly an addiction, and coffee is king!! :-) Granted the coffee is needed to keep the chill off and give a little spark to another dreary day. (However, for me it'a a comfort drink wherever I am.) I would also say that although we are friendly, we are not a warm group of people. Northern climates don't lean in this direction - there are layers to us just like our sweaters and coats!

Now, on this (the east) side perceptions are a little different. I'm still learning about this area so my thinking could change in the future. At the moment, I see "the south" here in customer service - warm and personable, and going to church is a commonplace part of life. As far as "the east" goes, people are more pushy and passionate. Lastly, the driving is just schizophrenic. Either they are beyond aggressive or mighty pokey. Perhaps the "pokeyness" brings out frustration and therefore aggression.

Tomorrow it will be a month since my arrival. Let's face it - I'm a newbie!

Mixed Emotions

I'm certainly a bit overdue. I'd say that there are primarily two reasons. I have been busy with all these upcoming changes, but as usual the biggest reason I haven't been writing is that I'm processing. Yes, processing the changes ahead. The house was well received judging by the fact that we had 7 offers within a week! So we are definitely moving, having accepted an offer over the listing price. :-)

There are so many emotions, and they range far and wide. A lot of wonderful things have happened in my life here in California. Let alone I've met some awesome people. Lifelong friends don't come along every day. It's difficult to leave such a place and not have mixed emotions.

I've visited numerous places in the States, but I've only lived in two states - Washington and California. I am a west coast girl. The US is so big there are many cultural climates, if you will, within it. When I visited Memphis, TN, probably 20 years ago, the money was the same as WA and the language was sort of the same. But it felt like the similarities to my Seattle home stopped there. Florida, where we are headed, is not the deep South, but geographically and otherwise it's a long way from California.

I can't imagine my home being anything other than the west coast. It's strange. There is a tearing of sorts in me to leave this side. It's one thing to live in Europe, which I did for 12 years. But that's not some other place in America. Funny how my roots are so well established without me fully realizing it. That being said, I am excited about the adventure of it all. We are also going to be able to live well under our monthly income. It may sound odd to be excited about that, but I am! California is expensive. We can live here obviously since we have been but no frills. Our expenses here also didn't allow for any of life's surprises. And life tends to throw a curve ball or two from time to time.

It feels right to make these changes on a practical level. The emotional side goes back and forth.

First Impressions

In brief after a whopping 48 hours:
1. The people are warm, honest and very gracious - especially with my appalling lack of Spanish!
2. Coffee - Nescafe is all too common! :( Instant coffee - can one really call it coffee?! I had mistakenly figured that the cafe con leche (coffee with milk) would be similar to what I had in Spain. Sadly mistaken. Although I have already found a wonderful coffee place, run by an expat as it turns out!
3. It's quite warm, hot even, and in the heat of the day I'm perfectly content reading, blogging or something sedentary in the shade!!
4. Loving the adventure!

One of Life's Grand Events

The wedding day is past. What an event it all was!! Naturally, Sabina looked gorgeous, no surprise there! The wedding was amazing and for me the best part was that Sabina and Chris both said their vows in English and Polish. A more difficult feat for Chris and I was impressed. By the way, I didn't cry at the wedding - shocker! Just thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

There is something special about making the time for such a grand party afterward as opposed to rushing through a reception so the couple can escape. Of course I'm older but I'm not sure I would have had the stamina for it myself, as the bride! (I understand the party ended about 5 am!!) The reception was filled with food, dancing, singing, a skit where Chris had to “buy back his wife,” more food, and vodka – to the level to which each person was comfortable. For me personally, it was also a wonderful time to catch up with people I hadn't seen for years. Life marches on and there were many stories to share. I really appreciate the opportunity to get reacquainted face-to-face with old friends, so thanks Chris and Sabina for getting married!! :)

Cultural differences can show up in many varied ways from eating times, to major life event traditions, like weddings, to everyday priorities. I traveled with a few people one of them being Chris' step-sister who is 11. At the end of our time in Poland she makes the statement that she likes the actual travel part of traveling but not being somewhere new. As you know from earlier posts, I am the exact opposite of her. Of course, she is only 11 so things may change in the future. I love new places (or old ones I haven't been for a while) and find it fascinating how many ways there are to approach life. I work hard, sometimes harder than other times, to be open to new perspectives and ideas. I can't embrace them all since some ideas can be opposing to one another, but open in that I don't judge by thinking that's weird or strange rather just different than how I might do things. Challenges, new concepts and different priorities make me grow and open up my world. I have to say that sometimes the new ways are better than my old ones, or at least a welcome diversion! 

The whole trip was great. I was thrilled to be able to help Sabina in any way, just spend time with her, and see how a Polish wedding is done! Awesome and a lot of fun!

Reality Check

No, I'm not flipping to some movie scene in my head when I see surfboards attached to the roof of a car. Nor am I halucinating or witnessing some freakish or rebelious act against contrary weather or environmental conditions. These surfboard spottings are a rather common occurrence, even in the month of November. After all, it's sunny, high 60's to 70 and there is an ocean quite near by! Amazing but true!

I'm teaching myself not to think first about snow issues when I navigate a steep driveway or winding downhill highway. And today I was even surprised to see down coats in a store's display window. (Of course I have to remember that there will be skiing available in the not too distant future - after taking a little drive.) But there will be no snow on the landscape for me this winter. Will I miss it? Probably. But I don't know if I'll miss 6 feet of it for 5 months. Time will tell. Now what do I do with my wool sweaters?!

I also have to admit that I'm beginning to feel a little naked down here in Santa Cruz land - without a tattoo. But I think the reality check will stop there! No tattoos for me in the foreseeable future. In case you wanted to know!

Each day is new

Today was a good day. No, nothing in particular happened to make it 'good'. I had some plans for the day, just things to get done. But it didn't happen quite as I planned - big surprise! Some things were outside of my plans and other things will happen later.

What I've learned over the past year or so is that each day is new, different and not dependant on the emotions or events of yesterday. Some days during this past year have been very dark, emotionally. And at first, I would project the thoughts and emotions of those days - ad infinitum.

But whether the days are dark or bright, God has me (you) and each day in His hands. I might be overwhelmed with the shopping variety here, the gourmet items at Trader Joes's and the portions at restaurants but I don't need to be overwhelmed by my emotions. They are valid, part of me but tomorrow is another day.

Now in California

A 'woman on the edge' has nothing on a 'woman in transition'! I would say the emotions are just as unstable but at least this woman in transition isn't so aggressive as 'a woman on the edge'! I'm more overwhelmed by everything and tired a lot.

Resume writing is new all over again. I don't even remember the last time I wrote one, easily 15 years ago. It's all the more difficult to write since I don't know what I want to do!!

I knew this would be a new adventure for me. But I thought a benefit of this adventure would be that I could do this one in English. (In Poland, success in communication wasn't a given.) The other day I went into a store to get some change. But I was unsuccessful because the cashier only spoke Spanish. That's not one of my languages! And many job opportunities want someone bilingual and the other language desired isn't Polish. Go figure!

Thoughts of Home

Friday evening, I’m sitting out on my mother’s deck listening to and watching the wind in the trees. It’s a very peaceful and pleasant evening. As I sit here, I hear a bit of traffic noise, briefly a jet overhead, and I know there is a Starbucks only 2 blocks away. It all seems very familiar in my ‘new’(?) slice of the world. It may be familiar but I don’t seem to fit (on the inside) like I used to. This makes me think of something I wrote in the introduction to a book I’m writing. So I will give you a glimpse into the book entitled 'The Road Home'.

"The need for a home, or lasting reference point outside of myself, came to the forefront when I became a missionary. During those years on the mission field my number of physical homes increased. Seattle would always be home because that’s where I grew up and lived through early adulthood. I still have family and friends there. After a while my missionary host country felt like home in many ways. Having lived in one place for almost nine years, even though a missionary, I felt rather settled. Through God-appointed meetings, a church from another European country, Switzerland, began to represent home as we received teams from this country to support our mission work. I got to know people from the Swiss church and spent furlough time there, as well. Switzerland is such a beautiful country, who wouldn’t want to call this place home?"

I enjoyed and felt so comfortable in Europe generally that I wondered, even though born an American, was I European at heart? I just seemed to belong in those little sidewalk cafes surrounded by buildings, often three or more times the age of the United States, and riding highly developed city tram systems. America though familiar was changing in my absence. I became less comfortable in the States, yet I still could speak the language quite well! There’s a lot less stress in life when there are no barriers to communication. I readily called all three places – home. They each were home in some regard and yet none of them was home"

In 3 weeks I'm off to my next 'home' in Santa Cruz, California. It's always an adventure with the Lord. Continuing to covet your prayers.

Only a Week?!

I've been in the States a week now. But in some ways it seems so much longer. I don't know if that's jetlag distortion or what. It seems strange to not be in a rush. Usually when I'm here I've only got a limited time to get everything done I hope to, because I've got a flight back to Europe. My perspective is different and I'm trying to adjust.
Yesterday was a particularly sad day. I don't really know why but that's not necessarily unusual either. (Sometimes the reasons behind my emotions are a mystery.) It was good to be at church but difficult too. I was uniquely aware of 2 things during the sermon. 1. I could understand every word! 2. It might be a long time before I ever teach like that again. As I type I guess I understand my emotions better!
Well I hope to update weekly, at least. I desire to keep up you informed even through this transition process. Of course this process will probably be several months! I'd love your prayers.

America

America is a strange and wonderful place.

Yes, I’m back in the States and have been for a week. Thankfully jetlag was minimal. Although there is no denying the 24 hour transit (door to door) can be brutal – in psychological adjustments. This extended travel in what I call “the big silver Twinkie in the sky” is a cultural limbo. I’m in Europe, then the Twinkie and finally America. Trust me – it’s different! Both have their pluses and minuses. Some things are strange to me now after having been away for so long; other things and people are a joy to return to. I especially like the relative ease of a chat with a stranger, whether it be with the other person in line or the customer service person. I love the easy smiles and friendliness.

I also was a little surprised yet not shocked, when my mother’s wallet was turned into the info desk – complete. We were at Barnes and Noble’s (a bookstore chain) and she must have thought she was putting it in her purse but it slipped to the floor without notice. Go people and honest ways! Many blessings on the person who returned it! By the way, I'm NOT saying people aren't honest in other places. This last part is just a good story to share.