Shifting Perspective

I just went on *another* short break, and I'm still trying to catch up with myself. Apologies to all my regular readers. We just went to Riga, Latvia and Vilnius, Lithuania.

As we crossed the Russian border, I felt some release of tension that has accumulated just by living here the past few months. When we got to our hostel in Riga, the staff greeted us with a free beer for each person. You know your frame of reference has changed if life at a hostel seems like a dramatic step up from your current quality of life.

Tap water was drinkable, even without boiling for 10 minutes. Toilets were free, had lids, seats, a steady supply of toilet paper, flushed without overflowing, didn't smell like sewage and bathrooms weren't full of old shoes, newspapers, jars, bottles, cans, drying laundry or pets. Internet access was free, readily available, and lacked bandwith restrictions. Rooms were clean (well those sheets might be questionable) and well-lit. Staff was friendly and customer-service oriented. Coffee and tea were free for all guests.

During the trip, I suffered a bit from reverse culture shock. Everything felt so European. The streets were clean - no snow or dirt. No one spit on the streets. Streets weren't full of drunk, raging alcoholics at all hours of the day. I didn't see any potholes on roads or sidewalks. There was not a general state of disrepair, on streets or in buildings. I didn't see any 14 year olds running around with bottles of beer at 9 am. I was not accosted by a single drunk man. Taxi and bus drivers appeared to be sober.

Restaurants were friendly and seemed to want customers. You didn't have to wait for a long time and they didn't swear at you if they thought your group was too big. Tables weren't reserved for people who never showed up. The kitchen didn't close 90 mins before the restaurant did. Food used spices and salad didn't have mayonnaise on it. Half of the menu did not consist of cigarettes and the various types of vodka, cognac, beer, wine and other alcohol you could buy.

There were no traffic police hovering at 20 foot intervals to fine pedestrians for crossing without a signal, or cars whose drivers hadn't done anything illegal, but looked wealthy enough to pay bribes to avoid any 'trouble'. People on the street smiled, said hello, and even hugged you.

All in all, I was a little cranky on the train back...