culture shock: overwhelmed by choices

When moving, my employer gave us a re-entry packet. The document says:

Re-entry is the least anticipated type of stress. Instinctively, we feel that coming home should be the easy part of the assignment...However, you can still face a number of challenges during this stage...

True that, yo!

The document asks a series of questions for reflection to help process the re-entry process. I relate to many of them. However, I will share just one of them today.

Have you ever spent 20 minutes trying to choose a cereal at the grocery store?

I never thought about this before living overseas - but Americans are inundated with an enourmous amount of choices...constantly. The options are almost endless. Cereal is only one example. There are sugar cereals and non-sugar coated cereals. There are cereals with dried fruit and those without. Some with nuts and some without. Some are gluten free. Some are high in fiber or low in cholesterol. The list goes on and on and on. With all of these options it can be overwhelming to try and make a decision...there are just too many choices.

In most places we have lived in recent years our choices for something like cereal were severely limited. IF cereal were available it was usually unsweetened corn flakes. The choice was simple: yes or no to the corn flakes? Period. Usually it was no and I would opt for some variety of granola when available.

My specific struggles haven't been cereal...but I have had occassion where I was overwhelmed by choices.

I was going to bake apple muffins for the family. Kelsey and I went to the store to buy some ingredients. We arrive in the flour aisle and I pause. It wasn't just a simple choice of white or wheat. Oh no. There were like six different brands and each brand had three to four varieties. I was stumped, just standing there staring at options for flour and wondering why anyone needed so many different choices in flour. It was long enough for Kelsey to notice and ask if I needed help finding what I was looking for. I said, "I need help choosing." She literally closed her eyes and pointed...where her finger landed was the flour we bought - it was some organic, wheat variety of flour. I didn't care. I wanted to get out of the store ASAP.

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I had an added challenge (beyond my inexperience and ineptitude to cook large quantities of food) - Angela has dietary restrictions, one of them being no dairy. I called in for reinforcements, my sister Sara. She was a life-saver! While at a store she sent me the following message:

Sara: Hey I am at store and wanted to report a Toffutti product that is a substitute for cream cheese with no dairy. Also found soy whipped cream and coconut milk creamers.  There is always margerine also.  I am also finding vegan cheese alternative in cheddar and mozzarella.  No dairy either.  Did u know there is cheese made from almonds?  I am discovering a whole new world!

My response: Amazing! In Mozambique I was excited just to find any cheese...now the options (and varieties) are limitless. USA...the land of choices!

NOTE: From time to time I will document some of these re-entry challenges. So many of you have been with me on the journey for years and this is just a part of the experience. This is not shared to pass judgement, but rather give a new perspective on things that are common place for so many, but now unusual for me.

Just Sheri, struggling with culture shock in my homeland