I would love to pack these stores & restaurants and take them with me to Albania:

1. Costco
2. The Cheesecake Factory
3. Carson Pirie Scott
4. Panera Bread
5. The Arlington Heights Memorial Library (though not a store or restaurant, I would love to take this wonderful library back to Albania)
6. Barnes and Noble
7. Target
8. Trader Joe’s
9. Walker Brothers Original Pancake House
10. PF Chang’s

(P.S. They are not in any particular order)

(P.S.S. TCLH would include Best Buy)

Photo by: David Ruiz

Every couple of years I get a chance to go home to the U.S. for ‘furlough’– rest and relaxation, spending time with my family, connecting with Ministry Partners, etc.

As I come ‘home’ to the U.S., somehow by being gone for periods of 2 years at a time, I feel like a fish out of water- things have changed in my home culture– some are subtle, like the new Pepsi logo I noticed just last week, whereas other changes are much bigger, such as the onslaught of Hummers and P.T. Cruisers on the road some years ago. Either way, there are always changes that take me by surprise.

I remember learning in cross-cultural training that by living overseas for a period of time in a ’secondary’ culture, I would be considered a “Third Culture Person”– ie. I no longer fit into my home culture completely and I’ll never truly be “Albanian” even though I’ve lived there for 15 years, thus I fall into this unique category of a 3rd culture person.

If you run into me and ask me who won the NBA playoff’s last year or who’s my favorite American Idol or have I seen the latest “Castle” series and I hesitate to respond or a strange word comes out of my mouth (strange-sounding to you because it is Albanian)– just remember, I’m a 3rd culture person. A little bit of a misfit.

Here are a few of the things that I’ve noticed this time around:

1. The newspaper is slimming down. Take the Chicago Tribune for instance. I remember the Tribune being super thick, with a whole variety of sections and topics, and tons of advertisements in their Sunday edition. Now it seems extremely elegant (a compliment?) and the width is smaller. Perhaps the width is something most Americans will not notice, but I think it has shrunk a half inch or more.

2. Commercials: The ones that strike me strangely funny are those advertising different medicines or pharmaceutical goods in which we see people of all ages enjoying life, hugging, playing sports, smiling and laughing together, while the narrator is listing the possible side effects and even severe consequences or risks of taking the medicine being advertised. The images conveyed warm the heart but the words spoken may frighten the soul for person who is truly listening to all that could go wrong by taking this particular health supplement. The imagery is set to pleasant and uplifting music in the background while the narrator is saying words like “stroke, heart attack, hemorrhage and death.”

3. Cars: There are fewer P.T. Cruiser’s and Hummers on the road.

4. Caller I.D. on the television. This was a little too ‘Big Brother-ish’ for me– I was watching a show on my mom’s television when I heard her home phone ring and saw the caller i.d. of the person calling flash up on the screen. Though a little spooked at first, you’ll be pleased to know that I did go ahead and answer the call.

5. This is my first time home since the economic crisis has encompassed our lives, so the following are some of the stores & restaurants I noticed that have closed in the past two years (at least these stores in my suburbs of Chicago location, perhaps they haven’t gone completely out of business):

Stores: Steve & Barry’s, Circuit City, and Linens & Things.

Restaurants: Max & Erma’s, The Egg Factory, Boston Market, Applebee’s, and Baker’s Square– I’ve also noticed more “for rent” and “for sale” signs in empty store locations and neighborhoods.

6. Did I mention the Pepsi logo?

7. Inside temperatures of theaters, restaurants & stores: Feeling like I’m walking into an actual freezer at the grocery store– even when I’m not in the freezer section… I’m surprised that when I’m visiting the U.S. in the summers I need to wear long sleeves indoors and then in winter time, short sleeves are most comfortable inside. Do we have our seasons mixed up? Is it just me or does it seem like businesses could save some money by finding the appropriate temperature on the thermostat according to each season?

Other areas where I feel like a fish out of water:

1. Putting gas in my car– in Albania you never leave your car to get gas– there are attendants who take care of that when you pull into the station– so I have to re-adjust every two years and remember what order to do things in: (First I have to find which side the gas tank is located on because I’m in a borrowed car– a very important 1st step)– open the gas cap, figure out the options– credit, debit, with or without car wash, unleaded, regular, premium, etc. Lift the handle, smile into the camera… And I’ll gladly pay the $2.59 a gallon for gas knowing that gas in Albania costs 3 times as much.

2. Automatic everything– especially the ’sensors’ on toilets in restrooms– I’m amused when the toilets sometimes flush before I even use them.

3. Using the self check-out line at a grocery store or Wal-Mart. Though I like the sense of power and control I have in checking out my own groceries, I do feel a little slow as I go through the process for the first time.

4. Having to respond when asked if I want ice in my drink. We don’t use much ice in Albania.

5. The organic options have become more popular– so instead of just the regular 2,000 brands of cereal I can choose from, I now have the additional “Organic” versions of those cereals too– Organic shredded wheat, Organic Cheerios, etc.

Photos by Tammy Doci