On transitions and the changes that come with them
Personal updates, links and recommendations
“Home is not merely the homestead, my house, my room, my garden, my town—but everything it stands for… To feel ‘at home’ is an expression of the highest degree of familiarity and intimacy.”
- Alfred Schuetz, The Homecomer
Life Adjustments
Since my relationship with my now-husband began in 2013, I’ve been cooking consistently. For years and years, I’ve meal-prepped each week—carefully and methodically planning out each breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with snacks, juices and sometimes smoothies to last from Monday morning through Thursday evening. I’d think of meal ideas, find recipes and plan the grocery lists accordingly.
For the most part, I’ve enjoyed cooking and the process that comes along with it. After all, I grew up watching my mother in the kitchen and had a fondness for creating recipes of my own. I found creative expression in making things and a satisfaction in eating them.
When we moved to London in September 2021, that all began to change. The brands I was familiar with and the predictable flavors I could count on no longer existed. I couldn’t drive to Target and pick up a block of Velveeta or a fresh bottle of McCormick’s ancho chili powder. I had to pore over my Waitrose and Sainsbury’s grocery delivery apps, looking for suitable alternatives.
While in some ways, the challenge and the access to new/different ingredients was exciting, more than anything, it just made the entire cooking process more cumbersome. Eventually, rather than creating all meals from scratch, I found myself more and more reaching for so-called “easy cook” items that were already seasoned and just needed to be baked. We signed up for a Costco UK membership with their ready-made food section as our main motivation.
Now after yet another transatlantic move from London to D.C. to begin a new life with the U.S. Foreign Service, my motivation to cook has been… shall we say, blown to smithereens.
I’ve signed us up for a meal delivery service. I buy frozen meals on a regular basis. I’m overly dependent on Chick-fil-a and other fast food.
Some may say I’ve regressed back to my college ways of eating, but I prefer to say I have simply “evolved beyond” cooking.
It feels like the attention I once devoted to meal prep and other household tasks has been reallocated as a means of coping. The head space formerly occupied by the grocery list/cooking inspiration is now occupied by constant cultural adjustments and mental preparation for our upcoming move to Romania.
Moving between cultures, whether temporarily or permanently, is exhausting. Change of any kind is exhausting. It’s important to give yourself the time and bandwidth to re-acclimate to new surroundings and accept that, when all is said and done, you may be a different version of yourself on the other side. And that’s OK.
It’s OK to change in unexpected ways when faced with new circumstances beyond your control. Give yourself the grace and space you need to adapt to your new environment and carve out your new normal, whatever that may be.
What I’m Reading
The Art of Coming Home by Craig Storti. This book is recommended by the State Department and has some fascinating takes on cultural acclimation both home and abroad.
What I’m Watching
Last night, we streamed Netflix’s new movie Stolen, about a young woman from Sweden’s indigenous Sami community who works alongside her family to stop a reindeer killer from disrupting their otherwise peaceful lives on the frozen tundra. The film was beautifully shot and has English dubbing for those of us not well-versed in Swedish.
Also on Netflix, we really enjoyed The Equalizer 3, which was filmed along the magical Amalfi Coast with Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning.
New on Instagram
I shared a few photos of life lately and reflected again on my experience with reverse culture shock after moving to D.C. from London. We attended our first baseball game in over five years (since before moving abroad). We also ventured out to Great Falls Parks in Maryland for some hiking.
I also shared an update on our pup Watson, who suffered a back injury two weeks ago. He finished a week of Gabapentin pain medicine and anti-inflammatories. Watson is doing much better, but we’re still limiting his activity and encouraging him to use his new ramp to get on and off the couch.
Popular on the Blog
My article on wine windows in Florence has been a consistent top performer on the blog. If you’re headed to Florence this summer, you may want to check it out.
I’m working on something very special on this topic that I can’t wait to share with you soon!
That’s all for now. I hope you have a great week! Please feel free to leave a comment or reply back with your thoughts.
Cheers,
Michelle