We made it back to the states! After a few flight delays and snafus, we’re now couch cozy in Albuquerque, New Mexico — our home for the next month. The snow was unexpected and the mountains show up in starker relief, but the real change has been the culture shift from South to North America. Let’s get into it.
Tyranny of Choice
I arrived back in the states first, so after I got unpacked I jogged down the road to the closest grocery store. I nearly skidded to a halt to take it all in, but the hustling New Year’s Eve shoppers wouldn’t allow for thoughtful consumerism. Shop or die.
I had no idea what retail anxiety was until I was confronted with the miles of crap that are available for purchase by Americans. For two months, I’d had a choice between two different brands of yogurt and maybe three different flavors. Now? There was an unending shelf of the stuff. I didn’t buy any.
There was a whole aisle just for cat food. Three rows were for frozen juices and breakfast items. I suddenly realized it’d been over three months since I’d ordered anything from Amazon. I don’t think I need my membership. I’m not sure I need any of it.
Jan had his chance a few days later, and it was interesting to see him go through this exposure. We went up and down each aisle together, just marveling. After months of no choice, we left without fulfilling the overflowing dreams of local grocery carts.
Traffic/Sprawl
Although there is a bus system in place, Albuquerque is a driving town. I’m fairly certain of that. There’s a spaciousness to it that was totally absent in Lima. Homes have gracious lawns and out buildings, businesses are grouped — nay, zoned along busy multi-lane roads. A few thousand Peruvians and their in-home businesses and communal parks would fit into the same space that housed three blocks worth of cars, campers, and five-bedroom split-levels.
Gleefully, we were able to time our jaywalking across four lanes with a frogger-like precision and a fraction of the concern we spared for crossing the street in Miraflores. There was no honking, no cutting in, no motorcycles seeking an advantage on the sidewalk, no broke-down victims alongside the highways. People parked cars without concern in spacious lots. Lights, signs, manhole covers, and fire hydrants were in expected positions.
Still, that we walked to the grocery store was baffling to our host — it’s only a five minute drive! The cashiers were confused that we would not need help to our car. A fifteen minute walk doesn’t need a car. Not in Lima. Not in Albuquerque.
‘Murica First
Americans assert their preferences without shame. There’s no concern for inconveniencing others, not really. Jan observed people on airplanes purposely sitting together when their seats weren’t assigned and delaying everyone’s take-off just to see if they could get away with it. I saw multiple people ignoring the “zipper method” of deplaning with the thought of stomping ahead to the front. Like none of us have ever gotten onto or off of a plane before. Maybe I didn’t notice this me-first attitude abroad, but I don’t think so.
There was also a shift as we moved into the country from mixed language displays to English-only (DFW & Miami were fairly good.) I know it’s the dominant language in the U.S., but after seeing how accommodating Peruvians were to non-Spanish speakers it’s really jarring. Do you think restaurants will have a Spanish version of their menus? What about other languages? No? I’m going to continue to work on my skills so I can help non-native speakers if they need it.
It is good to hear English again, though, and to engage in idle chit-chat with cab drivers and cashiers. Even if most of what we say to each other isn’t meaningful and not really needed, it still feels good to not fumble at the starting line of conversation.
Weather
So I was trying to plan our travels around the snow, though I seemed to have landed us in Albuquerque during a “winter storm.” I’m okay with the novelty, particularly since we haven’t had any weather for two months AND we don’t have to get out and about. We were both amused by local cab drivers and their inability to work during a two-inch accumulation. That amount of snow barely slows things down in Chicago. Here? They needed to knock-off early.
Still, since neither of us have winter coats or boots, we’ll probably wait a few days for things to melt off before we explore the area and see if the SW is a longer term option for the two of us. More to come.
Welcome back! I like the reentry vantage point. I see what you mean by the embarrassment of riches / overwhelmption that is the typical American supermarket. Agree on the lack of courtesy coupled with the “me first” attitudes that seem to be pervasive, especially when you have been exposed to something very different.
The major difference between our non-US to US experience? I had difficulty with small talk and idioms after not really speaking much English for 3 months.
Our Spanish didn’t progress much as people in Lima were super accommodating. They wanted to speak English more than we wanted to try out our Spanish. So it goes.