Traditions

I often wonder a lot about cultures, being that London is by far the most diverse city I have ever and will ever live. There is someone from every possible make up that you pass daily, if not work with. I wonder why people come here, what keeps them here, what their lives are like in their home countries. Is this life harder or easier for them? What about their living conditions are they as nice as they were accustomed to at home, worse, or on par? I have never realized how different growing up in the different cultures are, and never felt as though my up bringing, my overall pretty normal, average American years were so vastly different that so many others. There are simple things, every day things, that I took as the norm. and they weren't so for many many people. Not always in a sense of being fortunate or spoiled (which I know I was as well) but in the general aspect of culture. Things like holiday traditions, rite-of-passages, and thought processes are so specific to my culture, my nation and my experience. It is often that people seem to gasp at things I take to be normal. This might sound weird, as it seems odd to me sitting here typing it out... but things like Dying Easter eggs, Easter baskets, Trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, Friday night football games, Cheerleading, prom... and the list goes on and on. Admit it (American people) ever once, did you think it was something special, something out of the ordinary to do any of those things? To partake in these were not any odd occurrence, they were everyday occurrences. Some of the concepts seem so odd to so many people, including my husband. And sadly he has been at the brunt of trying to figure them out with streams of tears coming through my eyes uttering bits of random holiday traditions that I have realized do not exist outside of the bubble of the USA. There was the great shedding of tears before we had left Missouri upon the great fear of not being able to locate a pumpkin patch in London... like the ever so wonderful husband he is, Alex comforted me and rushed to the computer to show multiple places that we would be able to buy a pumpkin. Then there is the more recent frustration with not being able to find my traditional Easter accompaniments. After breaking through the mumbles and the tears with this one, he finally got to the brunt of it and was baffled to what it was that was causing these tears, then we had to go over what I was actually mumbling on about... and I quote, "What exactly is an Easter Basket?" It has since been explained, he has been shown examples, but it still baffles me a bit that these are not things every kid grew up with. Here is wishing everyone a happy holiday season, regardless of your traditions, what you think of as normal and what you are celebrating. I hope you have all your desires and expectations met.