SOmetimes I don’t write because I don’t have anything to say.

More often, it’s because I don’t know how to say what I’ve been thinking about. Life throws a lot of experiences at me sometimes, and I have to ponder them a while before I can get a fix on them.

Impressions and thoughts and ideas.

I remember when I was living in Russia. That first year was so hard. I was tired a lot, and excited, and doing so many new things and getting used to so much. In a lot of ways, I am realizing how parallel my experiences here are to my first year in Russia. There is a lot to get used to.

This weekend, I went to the housewarming party of a new friend. There was a point in the evening that a passionate discussion about the tastes of different kinds of bottled water occurred. The relative tastiness of Arrowhead, Ralph’s brand, Aquafina, distilled vs. mineral-all were discussed.

I come from a place where many people do not have running water.

Yes, this is culture shock. I try not to be judgemental. These different types of water are all available. Why not have an opinion about them?

I remember in Russia, the only tooth cleanser was a powder. That was it. When my friend came to visit me in America, she about dropped through the floor, looking at all the different varieties of toothpaste.

I suppose that’s not so different from different varieties of water.

Back to basics has a different meaning in different places.