im really puzzled that in the great united states, where ive been a month and a half now, it is so hard to buy a coca cola. so many stores dont sell it. perhaps it is a new york city thing, but its a bit weird that this is the only country in the world so far where a grocery store sometimes straight up does not even stock it. isn't it from here?
in general, there are so many soda options, and so many strange little snacks that dont look appealing to me at all. theres a lot i like about this place too, but heres some things i think are peculiar:
everything is so big, but keys to apartments are always so petite. theres something funny about walking into a big american building and opening it up with this cute little object.
windows always have this sliding thing going on which implies that every window is always unlocked.
people rarely seem to lock their door in apartment buildings. i thought people would be much more paranoid here.
people genuinely do consume a lot of products and hustle a lot, everyone has lots of credit cards and so many people are really occupied about their work and bettering their financial situation. it makes sense, its an expensive city, but people also make so much money? ive been asking people how much they pay for rent and how much money they make and im constantly trying to do the math but i cant figure it out. it feels like they should have a lot of money but they all say they dont.
even though everyone i meet is busy with work all the time, there are seemingly an endless amount of people in the park on a tuesday afternoon
so far i have been spending exactly 500 euroes every week on food and places and things.
i cant have a beer in the park (the worst thing about this country so far) but then it's ok if i use a paper bag supposedly, yet i see nobody try it. i want to knit cute little covers for my beer so i can have a drink with my friends on the grass.
but most importantly, people here are very kind. it's my first time couch surfing, staying someplace for a longer time without a real plan on where to stay, and im really thankful for everyone thats letting me crash on their couch or letting me catsit when theyre on a trip. as im writing this my friends cat (he is called martin) is looking at birds out the unlocked window.
after korea, i think i was looking to find a place where people are open and kind and i can speak the language and so far this is it. when you put the energy into people here they always seem to give it back, which is a pretty rare thing. but, it does seem that if you dont have any energy to give this place would be pretty rough.