Confessions of a Foreigner

Living abroad may seem romantic to some people, and while I will not deny that there are “romantic” moments, living internationally is not easy, and usually pretty comical:   

The other night I had a doctor's appointment.  I met with a doctor who spoke Croatian and German, and understood English but didn't speak any.  Meanwhile I speak French and English and only understand and speak very little Croatian.  Somehow, through a lot of guessing, game of gestures, writing words/numbers down, and once he even drew a picture; we made it through the appointment. 

I almost did a cartwheel in the store the other day when I found a German gluten free bread mix.  It’s called “dunkle brot” (which I found out later from google translate means "dark bread").  I had to type the instructions from the bag into google translate to make it, and I still didn't get it quite right.  I'm sure they're not the worse tasting gluten-free bread in the world, but I’m fairly certain they each weigh 10 lbs.    

Dave bought a surge protector, and ½ of the outlets blew as soon as he plugged it in.  Kind of defeats the purpose of getting a surge protector.  He didn’t know enough Croatian to bring it back, so we are currently using 3 out of 6 of the plugs on it. 

Like I mentioned on Facebook, Dave is currently using a lego to scrape frost off our windshield in the morning.  I guess when you live in another culture, sometimes it's just easier to make do with what you have, instead of trying to figure out where and how to buy the item you need.

Other times, it is quite fun to be in a new culture.  For example, this past weekend our new friends invited us to join them to a family “carnival” celebration in a nearby village.  Here are some pictures from our outing: