Culture Shock

For some reason culture shock has hit me harder the longer I experience it. Not that it gets any more difficult, but for some reason the differences between Croatia and America seem even more pronounced now than they used to. So with my latest trip to America a few days behind me, here are some things (related and unrelated to culture shock) that I noticed. In no particular order: 1. How much I love my wife and son. Does distance make the heart grow fonder? In our case yes! 2. How much I will miss my parents and newly-married brother. Spending time with them was more valuable than I imagined - especially now that we probably won't be back for another year-and-a-half. 3. How big Americans are. One article I read said that 26% of Americans are obese...that's more than Croatia. 4. How convenient many things are in America. Need directions? Mapquest . Want a book? Amazon.com has a wide selection and delivers quickly. Coffee and WIFI? Dunkin Donuts , Brueggers , the local coffee sh...

Technology at it's best. Thank you Skype!

Separation anxiety refers to the horror your child exhibits when you put them in someone elses arms and leave the room. It usually happens around 1 year old. Enoh still may have another month or so to go before he gets there, but I'm feeling a tinge of separation anxiety myself. Back in January we decided that I would come to the States alone for my brother's wedding. There were a few reasons Petra wasn't able to come, but I still thought about bringing Enoh along myself. Better sense kicked in and I'm here in America alone. Don't get me wrong. Being with my family, attending my brother's wedding, and seeing two ballgames (a cubs included!) makes the trip well worth it. And thank goodness for Skype without which I wouldn't be able to see Petra and Enoh at all during my two week stay. But still...

First time I walked into a Croatian police station I felt like I was on the set of the original Mission: Impossible . You know how they used to portray the communist characters – thick accents, hard as nails dictators and smoke. Commies always smoked. So I half expected Mr. Phelps to walk in the door as I waited to get permission to stay in Croatia. The small room had it all: posters that dated back to the Pioneers, 70's style unis, flakey paint and a little square of cardboard to cover the hole at the bottom of the reception window. And smoke. All four policemen were smoking as if their jobs depended on it. That was only 3 years ago but it seems a generation ago now that the no smoking signs have gone up in every public indoor location in the country. Another government building – the post office – has been transformed into an up-to-date European service station simply by eliminating the smoke. But it doesn't come naturally here. Telling your average Croatian bar-frequenter t...