Your Chance To Decide…
by Jess
I am here visiting Jonathan’s family, as well as our friends, in Neuchatel Switzerland. It is Friday, the First of 2010. Just like last year, on this same day, I was sad to leave friends behind, wondering where the nearest bottle of Tylenol was and wishing fervently to already be in the sunny warmth of Texas. Last night we ate so well. Just like last year. There were many bottles of wine, many wedges and rounds of cheese. Many courses and many laughs. Some things never change.
However, at 6 a.m. this year I was rousing myself to prepare a bottle. There was the realization that all of the stores were closed for the holiday, that the nugget had just done his business, and that we had one diaper left. There was an exhaustion that I never experienced last year. Some things have changed, and despite how it would sound, definitely for the better.
One thing that has changed for me, and for the worse, is that I have neglected this blog. I never wanted to be a blogger who wrote just about her child. I wanted to write about him as much as I would about all other subjects of interest. I cut myself some slack because the hours to blog are few and far between, and of course he is the most interesting and important subject in our lives. However, there are many other things that I could write about, but I don’t. Partially, because I thought no one was reading this blog. Except my mom, Rosa and Marcy. Not even my husband reads it. Also, because naturally when you return to your own home country and culture, you do not notice the things that would interest others across the Atlantic, or farther beyond.
During this trip I was surprised to discover that my friends here are reading this blog, and that some of them are disappointed in the lack of cultural notes about life in America. I wrote so much about my discoveries in Switzerland, and yet I do not reciprocate for the United States. As said above, partially that is normal, and partially it is laziness. So, thanks to these nudges I have received here, I am reinvigorated to blog this year, and to share the trivial, banal, brilliant and ridiculous that I find to write about along the way.
So the resolution is to reinvigorate the blog, and for those who are interested, to show aspects of American culture as I did with the Swiss culture. What’s left now is the question, What Do I Write About?? since it is so difficult to see what is different for others when it is status-quo for you.
Rosa herself gave me some ideas…
- what we eat for breakfast
- The Dispose-All
- table manners
and I have some starter ideas…
- the absence of hard boiled eggs painted in rainbow colors
- ice
- the venti cup at starbucks
- Home Depot
but if any of you who don’t know the states well have something in mind that you are curious about, now is the time to ask. And now, it is time for me to find that bottle of Tylenol.
Happy 2010 Y’all!
Comments
It is great to read you again! I’m looking forward to your future posts on America!!!
You could show us pictures of buildings of architectural interest, farms, people 8their looks, etc…), markets/stores (flea markets, supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants & farmers’ markets), nature/landscapes, transportations 8buses, trains, cars, etc…)…
Cheers,
Rosa
R and I are planning our next big blowout trip to the US with the boys, and I started joking about all the things that I’m no longer sure I can eat in the US (Ground beef. Pork. I KNOW TOO MUCH.) compared to the comfort level I have with the food system here. (Has anybody ever heard of a Swiss beef recall?) And the more we joked, the more I thought I wasn’t really joking. Some things just trouble me now. Are there things that you brought back s from Europe, things that are part of you now, that you didn’t expect to bring back? Are you glad you have them, or do they annoy you, or does it depend on the day? Even though you’re home, what makes you feel like a fish out of water?
I for one have been reading your post from the start and I love all aspects of it-but I do miss the photo-you do take the best pic,and have fun and have a safe trip home-ps old pices of cloths work great for diaper’s ))))
Right before reading this post, I read my sister’s where she talked about singing up for Project 52 where you commit to blog once a week, all year long (http://project52.info/) I don’t know if that would be a helpful motivation for you or simply annoying/feel like an obligation, but thought I’d pass that along.
As for what to write about, I agree with Glenda– you could always do with more photo posts. And the beauty of them is they take a lot less time to “write” (not counting the time it takes to shoot/process the photos…).
I think also talking about parenting dilemmas/concerns are good topics since it’s more general than just to your child. And, from there you can compare/contrast parenting as you experience it here vs what it might be like elsewhere…?
Whatever you write about, I’ll read it.