Settling In

Its been a while since I wrote a blog post. I had started writing one last week, but abandoned it because it was just going to be a rant. Either a rant about how difficult it is to set up house without a car or a whine about the number of decisions one has to make while setting up house, and how those decisions haunt you if you are overthinker who is prone to buyer's remorse. This post will start off as a rant but won't end as one. What has struck me is how difficult it is to buy groceries in this country, especially fruits and veggies. Not exotic ones, something as simple as bananas and apples, which you would find in any supermarket or cornershop in the UK. First, there are very few food shops that exist oustide strip malls. Then, those that do mostly sell junk food, not fresh food. The few ones that do are frightfully over-priced and of low-quality. So, one has to visit the strip mall if one wants to eat healthy. There are buses to the mall, but not all shops in the strip mall are accessible by foot, since there is a fairly busy road that runs through it. Welcome to America, people say, when I gripe to them about this. I was joking to a friend that last week I was fretting about where to buy eggs, and this week I am fretting about where to buy bananas. But, the edge is wearing off these peeves already. I have come to accept that grocery shopping will take a bit more time, a bit more planning and I will have to learn to make shopping lists since nipping out for some fruit is not an option here. Other than that, I am settling in quite well. I was stricken by buyer's remorse for some of my purchases but that has worn off. My kitchen is set up and my current state of existence is pretty comfortable. I am also finding it amusing that I am bit of a house-dandy. I have opinions on what lining I want for the kitchen shelf, for instance. I love my apartment and my neghbourhood has enough vegetation that I can hear crickets as I write this. I have found some good trails for running close to my house. Work has also picked up and I find that I am enjoying it. All in all, a good start to my US innings.