un-cultural changes.

A day that includes twelve miles of walking is not abnormal behavior, nor is it abnormal in my head. I always have the option of taking the bus. Many people do. And I have taken it in the rain, so I know how. But I usually choose to walk.

I drank coke out of a glass bottle today. I never drink Coca-Cola. I have not drank it out of a glass bottle since the time in my life when jellies protected my feet. But something about it just felt right.

I bought a single beer at the convenience store Sunday night. I rarely drink beer, the exception being its pairing with the three dollar burger, both consumed Wednesdays in Tulsa. It is even less often that I buy beer at a store, unless we are having a party at the house with the enviable front porch. And never a single bottle for myself. But I hand a hankering, so Sunday evening I could be found in my little box, watching episode seven of Six Feet Under, sipping a cold one. I subsequently learned that I do not particularly favor Heineken. And don't worry dad. I am still not an alcoholic. I barely finished one.

I walked to McDonalds this morning to get an egg, sausage, and cheese McMuffin. I never go to McDonalds. I am not being pious. It's just not a part of my life, and after reading "Fast Food Nation", I felt like I had, for the most part, closed the McDonalds chapter. But this morning I woke after just six hours of sleep to take a twenty minute walk to the home of the golden arches, and I was not ashamed. I sat outside on the sidewalk at a table with an umbrella, munching on the McMuffin, nibbling on the oval shaped hash brown, slurping the orange juice, and sipping Italian LaVazza coffee, (made of thirty percent robusta coffee beans, which are much higher in caffeine), while I watched a number of Koreans begin their day.

I eat MUCH more ice cream here, in the form of cones, milk shakes, and bars...flavors including, but not limited to, green tea ice cream, crunch, cookies and creme...so delicious. I consume it maybe once a month in the states. Here, it's practically nightly.

I often work three hours a day, getting paid too much money for six, in contrast to the eight I usually work in Tulsa.

I go to bed really late. Sometimes at three in the morning. And that doesn't feel weird.

I burn candles. I am actually sitting in a dark room right now, with light from only green tea lights. and Baxter. Don't worry mom. I won't fall asleep with them burning.

I bought grape juice at the store instead of orange. I usually buy orange at home. But I love grape juice, and I always have. I never think of buying it in Tulsa. But something grabbed at me when I passed it, and so I grabbed at it. It is such a nice pairing to my morning bowl of cereal.

Making a decision to jolt myself out of the norm of my comfort zone and into the abnormal of a foreign country has helped open my mind in the little ways too. Though these little changes may seem insignificant, they remind me to rethink the way I do things, and not be afraid to say yes when someone asks me if I want a Coca-cola out of a glass bottle. They challenge me to walk out of my box, open my mind, and pay attention to things that grab at me, things that routine, habit, or history frequently enable me to ignore. And that's the hidden pro of these exceptionally enjoyable un-cultural changes.