It is already one month back at home in Madison, Wisconsin. We returned home well and without any adventures. Those trips back after a long vacation or a much anticipated journey are mostly about the process of packing and going. There is not much enthusiasm or adventure spirit in the air. OK, I should admit kids were very excited to be going home. We, adults, were sad saying goodbyes to family and friends. I didn’t summon the energy to buy any souvenirs or gifts for anyone; I just wanted to make sure all the small random things we acquired along the way were packed in. I did sneak in some dried porcini into the suitcase, though. You guessed it, for Lithuanian Christmas recipes. So, a total of 4 people and 12 suitcases (some bigger and some smaller) flew over the Atlantic Ocean and landed in Chicago O’Hare airport. My dad picked us up in a rented humongous size car.
Back in Madison, we found our house in perfect condition, just as we left it. This was the first reflection point that “this” can be done. “This” meaning leaving your home for a year and living in a different country. Closets and drawers were empty, the basement had a lot of space. We unpacked and started our days. Kids were really excited. They basically ran outside and we barely saw them for a week. They were so happy to see their friends and they just played with them. There was a lot of laughter, running, hide and seek, and water games madness. I need to add a point, that the house seemed smaller for our kids and they complained about small bathrooms.
Photo of a newly added neighborhood hoop (thank you to our neighbors for making this work and taking the photos!):
The second reflection point was that we love our neighborhood in Madison. Vilnius and living in Paupys was awesome, but the Chamberlain Avenue corner is our home. To me, the distinct views, shades, sunrises or sunsets seen from different rooms and through different windows encapsulate the home definition and meaning. I stare at the big oak and maple trees throughout the day.
Adult madness was going to grocery stores to buy the basics and stock up the pantry. The prices went up, for some items they went up by a lot. If the price didn’t change, then the quantity of the packaging or the volume went down. Inflation, in economic terms, or memory loss. Or maybe a combination of both. Just like the size of the house for our kids. The only price that went down is for used cars, which worked well in our case.
The third reflection point. Some quantities how food is sold seemed very enlarged during the first week back in Madison. What do you do with a gallon of milk? We bought a quart. And I soon realized it is more practical to buy a gallon of milk because (a) the fridge is big and (2) I am not going to the grocery store each day. I do like 12 eggs in the carton (Lithuanians sell 10 eggs in a carton). Somehow the dozen lasts a bit longer. We were also immediately back at buying certain items on Amazon knowing they would be by our doorstep the next day. I mean how many times can you go to a Target store for one more small thing? Getting scotch tape, cords, plug ins, or tooth floss are items that usually get displaced during a move. Oh, we really enjoy that groceries are bagged for you at grocery stores. We struggled with this skill in Lithuania. Over time, we got better, but we prepared for the bagging exercise like people prepare for marathons. You have to really eye-ball well if you have enough bags for your stuff or should you buy couple extra bags (you have to pay for each bag in Europe, it is not included in the price). And in Lithuania, you are expected to bag your items quickly as the next person in line is sort of stepping on your toes if you are agonizing over the decision which bag to use for those eggs.
To transition back to our lives, we visited our favorite places such as Mooya (for a hamburger), Ancora (for coffee), Anthropologie (for window shopping), farmers markets (for corn), Costco (to remember true American shopping experience), Willie street coop (as our favorite grocery), the new Whole Foods (to see how it looks and it looked very corporate and boring), Trader Joe’s (for cheese selection and flowers), Mystery to Me bookstore (to support a real bookstore and for a smell of new books), Bloom Bakery (for Parisian pastry shop look and feel, which did not disappoint). Some places are still on the go-visit list.
Cheese selection and a new item at Trader's Joe:
A few reflection points on driving. America is built around cars. We didn’t have a car for a week and it was ok, but not easy. Many places are not within a walking distance. And if you walked, you wouldn’t be able to bring back a gallon of milk plus three grocery bags. We did get a car quickly and drove to Chicago to see my parents a few times. In Chicago, there were five lanes one way (and five lanes on the other side). The trucks are huge and I felt really small on that highway. Parking is much easier here. Oh, the skill of navigating traffic circles is paying out – there are more and more roundabouts.
And a little bit on politics. Don’t worry, I will not tell you how I plan to vote in the presidential election (this is one of the top questions I got in Lithuania). We came a week or so before the Wisconsin primary elections and received lots of mailings from the candidates. Our neighborhood was full of signs “vote no in referendum.” Before I sorted out the candidates and the topic of the referendum, one of the candidates for Wisconsin assembly stopped by while I was pulling weeds in the garden and introduced herself. I saw my chance and drilled her! She had to answer how she is different from other candidates (so at least I would know who is running) and what was the referendum even about. She did well, I enjoyed our conversation and, apparently, she is now representing us in the Wisconsin assembly. I got back to listening Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), the Market Place and the local WORT radio station. I do miss “Panorama” news. I know I can watch it online, but it is not the same. There was a daily update on Ukraine, their tactical moves, attacks, military aid, etc. Here, you can really feel that Ukraine is far far away, it is a matter of foreign affairs, but it is not a daily news update.
When we left Madison a year ago, the biggest local debate was about pet pigs (it is not legal to have a pet pig and one neighborhoods beloved pig was “discovered” by the city and had to move somewhere out in the country). Today, the biggest local debate is about the changes in the transit system and the bringing the bus lanes and stops to the center of the road. Madison is updating its Bus Rapid Transit with center lanes, electric busses and new fare system, and new bus tracking system. It is about 3 weeks to the opening time and it is probably the hardest time because they are almost finished, but no one has used them so all arguments about “good” or “bad” idea are not based on actual experiences of bus riders or bus drivers. Hey, whether it is pigs or bus lanes, life is good in Madison.
Click on the picture to go to the website about the bus transit (if interested):
Reflection points about school. I did get a question in Lithuania a lot whether we will have any trouble enrolling kids back at school, will have to study something extra from last year, etc. I did enroll kids into school in about 10 min (Andrew was enrolled into soccer way before the regular school enrollment started). Dominick is going to the 5th grade with his friends. There are about 5 or 6 kids in the neighborhood that are the same age, they meet each morning by our house, near a swing on a tree, and walk together to school. Andrew is in the last year of the middle school, he is in the 8th grade and also has lots of friends at school. He takes the classic yellow school bus. He goes by his friend’s house and takes a bus with about 4 or 5 friends on that bus route so they can sit together. Dominick already pitched an idea of “night at school” and got a “no” answer. It has only been three days of school and it was mostly about getting to know the teachers, classmates and the rules. They both got chromebooks that they charge at home and bring to school each day. As I understand, they are just a tool, there is still a lot of paper and handwriting. I am very curious about the curriculum, especially for social studies and science. Dominick did try school lunch for one day. Andrew immediately requested home lunch as he didn’t want to wait in line at school. So, we are back at packing lunches. Oh, I miss the Lithuanian system of freshly prepared hot food in the school’s kitchen.
Kids going to school on the first day:
What did we miss most? Vaidas said he missed mowing the lawn. I missed gardening, griddle, blender and my cookbooks. We all missed our cat which came home this weekend. And friends!!!
This is the last reflection point. We missed our friends, neighbors, acquaintances. Seeing you in person, catching up about your life, reflecting on the past year together is the best gift. I truly enjoy neighbors saying hello when you take a walk or a smile on barista’s face when you get that $6 latte (yeah, the price increase). But long conversations with friends are the best. We haven’t had a chance to see everyone yet, but I look forward to catching up in person! And I am sure there will be more reflection points during this year. There is a lot to unpack from one year abroad.