"Home" Again

Trip Start Mar 26, 2005

Trip End Oct 2005

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of United States Oswego, New York
Wednesday, March 30, 2005

After about a week of packing and unpacking and repacking and rethinking about what to pack, we arrived "home." I say it like this only because the irony of going home for us lies in the fact that we are, at current, homeless. The woman that we rented the house to no longer lives there but in her place are about 15 of her family members who in no doubt have more than one genetic connection between any two of them - none of whom have paid rent in the last 3 months. Ahhhhh, country living. So we are staying with friends while the proper forms are being filed and the Sherriff gets around to stopping by - which could be another couple of weeks. The other problem is that if these people were to begin moving today, it would take them at least a month to get all their crap out of the house, the shed, and unearthed from the various areas of the lawn. Between the broken windows and the eye watering aroma of urine emanating from the house, I can't help but wonder if we would be better off just bulldozing it to the ground and starting anew. It looks as though my dreams of going back to the farm and starting my veggie patch will have to be put on hold until we get the house back in working order and leach the lawn of toxic waste.

Meanwhile, back in "civilization" (sorry, I must use an abundance of quotation marks because I find it really hard to believe that this is reality) I'm constantly answering the most ridiculous questions about Bulgaria. "Oh, you learned Bulgarian? So were you able to communicate with the natives?", "Were they all really hairy?", etc. I won't continue because it will just annoy and make me over analyze how I could possibly have ever been raised in this environment. Lets just say that once we complete the project of turning our current wasteland into the picture-perfect little farm paradise of my imagination, I won't be leaving it much - until of course October-ish when we move to Chile.

If you have ever read I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson you would be able to understand some of the current realizations and issues I'm having at the moment. For example, everyone insists on giving me a ride somewhere and after about 15 minutes of saying, "Thank you so much but I would prefer to walk. I actually enjoy walking." They continue by saying,"Really, it's no trouble, just hop in." Finally, after looking at me like I'm growing a tail, they allow me to continue on my journey. Absolutely everyone drives everywhere, regardless of the distance. The only people roaming the streets are the drunks (looking for their cars) or the weirdos who do things like talk into their armpits and await a reply.

To be fair, there are some good things that have come out of being home. I have finally gotten a decent haircut, it has been nice to actually see some of my friends rather than just exchanging a few words over e-mail, and absolutely nothing has changed since I've been gone so I know exactly where to find everything I need in the grocery store. I'm sure there are more things that will come to me with time. It just seems so strange that I feel more culture shock coming back to the States than I ever have visiting a foreign country for the first time. I guess over the last couple of years I have become more Bulgarian than American. I still get pleasantly surprised when I get my change back all in money rather than a combination of money, chewing gum, and band-aids - or any other such things that could make up the difference; when we go out to eat and everyone's meal comes at the same time; and when cars actually stop to let you cross the street. Ok, so it's not all bad, and I haven't turned into a crazed anti-american or anything, nor do I think that one place is any better or worse than any other. The truth is it's not where you are but who your with. And in saying that, I think I can be happy just about anywhere (providing it doesn't smell of urine, of course).

Oswego hotels

Next Entry