Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Convenience Store Pancakes

Pancakes with butter and honey from Family Mart

It's funny what can turn a situation around.  For me this week it was pancakes from Family Mart.  Here convience stores are not connected to gas stations, they are on every block and offer a sampling of a small grocery with some hot food.

Jet lag for an adult is awful. Jet lag for a toddler is miserable.  Our normally happy Zane was NOT happy! We needed him to be awake when his body was telling him to sleep and he wanted to play when we were trying to sleep.  A few days in and we were living in a fog.  He wouldn't eat much and usually he will try anything, but he wanted nothing. We found a McDonald's and he ate a cheeseburger. McDonald's is McDonald's no matter where you are.

After several days in the hotel we moved into our apartment even though our stuff was still a week out. It was not a good day. Tired and crabby Laura is bad.  Tired and crabby Zane is worse.  Poor John didn't know what to say or do to make it better.  Everything frustrated me that day.  I knew it would be tough being here with the language barrier, but I hadn't thought about things like all the controls in our home are also in Chinese. DUH!!

So....John went for a walk to get some dinner and came back with a sack from Family Mart.  He unpacked it one item at a time.  Plastic cups so I could have ice in my drink.  Paper bowls, an ice cream bar in the flavors I love and a package of mini pancakes.  Zane eats pancakes for breakfast almost everyday, the frozen ones, we hadn't seen them anywhere.

I know it's silly. I know we will adjust to what is available and try new things and discover lots of things we didn't even know we liked. But in that moment those pancakes helped me see beyond the fog.  The tiny American and I are very lucky to be on this journey with someone who is so patient and kind.  There will be more days like this I am sure, we are creatures of habit, but together we will get through it.

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