Spring Morning

Today I woke up to a spring morning. I could tell before I even got out of bed. The room was just the right temperature, cool, maybe a little damp, with that fresh spring feel which would normally indicate that the hot water will be turned off soon. And the heat. If it hasn't been already. However, I no longer live in Ukraine. I control my own heat and I have a water heater of my very own in my apartment. Oddly, it is an adjustment.
One would think that having a more luxurious lifestyle would be an easy adjustment. It is and it isn't. I'm finding that there are certain things that I LOVE. Like prepared vegetables ("baby" carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, baby spinach--that you don't even have to wash!, mini peppers, chicken tenderloins or whatever they call them), thermostats in every room, paying bills online (and even automatically!), being able to go to a store and buy stuff or order it online and not have to worry about it getting through customs or finding someone to hand carry it.
On the down side, it is a struggle to watch how people waste their incomes here and then they think that they don't have enough money for the really important things. I do miss public transport and often find owning a car to be a stressful venture (on the other hand--it is nice to be able to load it up and not have to carry everything in my two little hands everywhere). It can be overwhelming how available everything is here--and of course, my money doesn't go as far. For instance, my cell phone bill here is more than ten times as much as it was in Ukraine. I also find some of the rules and regulations here difficult to remember. It is really a cultural adjustment and of course, people here think that I am an American. I'm still really learning my way around this culture. Little things trip me up (like it is okay and appropriate to be 10 to 15 minutes early here--in Ukraine if I showed up anywhere that early it would only be because I wanted a good spot in line, I tried it once or twice at church in Ukraine and the whole place was so deserted I thought that I had really messed up my time or something!). Living here is a "something" of a different color (can't remember what the "something" is supposed to be, have a lot of trouble with that with American sayings! lol).