Transition

It’s weird to be home, but not be in our home. It feels like walking over soft ground on a foggy morning. When I wake up at night, I’m not initially sure where I am, a temporary disorientation as my memory catches up with my senses. With my wits dulled from sleep, finding the bathroom in the dark can be difficult and potentially hazardous.

Jet lag has us a bit out of sorts. We’re exhausted by 8:30 PM in the evening, barely able to keep our eyes open. We wake every day between 4 and 6 AM. Even after 5 days at home, and despite concerted efforts at slumber, I still can’t sleep past 6:00 AM.  During the day I feel slightly hazy and vacant with a touch of light-headedness from time to time. It’s not unpleasant. Kind of like I’ve just had a big glass of wine.

Even though it’s Christmas, our alcohol consumption has declined and our healthy food intake is on the rise. I probably need about a month of salads to return my cholesterol and my colon to their normal states.

I’m back driving on the left hand side of the car again. Initially my sense of road position was slightly off, which Diane complained about as she was buzzing along perilously over the ditch.

Even though Vancouver is the warmest place in Canada, it’s still colder than where we traveled in Europe. I’m cold indoors and out. I’m going ice climbing next week, which should adjust my thermostat.

We’ve returned directly into the maw of Christmas consumer craziness. Out of season, the touristy thoroughfares of Europe weren’t as busy as our local mall.

We went grocery shopping yesterday and I was slightly traumatized by the food prices. Even accounting for the fact that the prices are in dollars rather than Euros, they still seem significantly higher than in Europe. Thankfully fuel is cheaper. When I’m hungry, perhaps I’ll go for a drive instead.

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3 thoughts on “Transition

  1. It’s funny ain’t it the way one ‘plops’ into unfamiliar environments (albeit they may have once been familiar) and observe humans behaving very competently in that environment. I went to a large department store in London after 6 months in the camper and was completely disorinetated by the store. Why was all this unecessary, valueless ‘stuff’ all piled up? and how come bright young people were moving so effortlessly through it all hunting a particular bit of ‘stuff’, that they can somehow differericate amongst all the…let’s call it ‘stuff’. They were so skilled; I was lost. We got the same feeling of comparative incompetence when you met us at Malaga, you were both so comfortable living in a way that would faze many. It took us a few days to get up to your speed. Merry christmas, S&M

    1. Martin — We absolutely know what you mean. We experience it every time we make a major cultural transition — e.g. arriving in Canada last week and two years ago, or when we joined you on the boat in England in 2009. I’m sure that it’ll be the same for us when we transition back to the S&M Motel.

  2. Hey Patrick & Diane.

    Arlene & I wish you both a very Merry Christmas & happy & healthy New Year. You will need to remain healthy in order to continue on with your travels. We are confident your colon will recover in plenty of time prior to your next departure date.

    Please keep the blogs coming.

    Merry Christmas!!

    Moe & Arlene

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