similarities and differences

I feel like for the most part Will and I have adapted to living in the US after growing up in different places. We have come to appreciate the conveniences that the US has and put up with the differences of things we once thought we could not live without.
It is always amazes me though, how I can go to another country and find more similarities to my "home country" (Japan) then I ever can to the US. Even though Italy and Japan are such different cultures (I noted some differences here), they still seem more similar to each other than either one to the States. Why is that I wonder? Maybe it is where I live. I am sure the big cities in the US would feel more like home, but still, there are differences in what I have experienced in the States vs. other countries around the world.
what do I mean? its the little things...

flower stalls where you can buy fresh flowers practically on the sidewalk.

small cars...for small spaces. The roads in Italy remind me of roads in Japan. Narrow. Small cars fit through just fine, people drive a little crazy (though they do follow signs better in Japan) The huge SUVs of the US would never make it down most of the roads.

Public transportation. The US's public transportation is practically non existent. Really. Unless you are in the heart of a city. I was so happy Alex got to experience real trains (not the fun steam engines we take our kids to for a joy ride). Trains take people places they need to go. Now, Italy's metro is no match for the system in Japan, but the sounds of the trains coming, or the sounds of them slowing down and stopping to pick up more passengers. It reminds me of home! Yesterday we also got to experience a crowded bus, not unlike the crowded trains of Japan. Rush hour in a train or bus is 100x different then siting in your own car in traffic (imagine standing, squeezed in like a sardine STUCK in rush hour traffic, feeling like you are in a sauna. Much of the world is used to that, but based on the boys' horrified exclamations, most American's have never experienced that!

Smells. I rarely smell something in the States that reminds me of another country. "Roasted chestnuts" is sung in one of our popular Christmas songs, but how many people really enjoy it for a snack. Smelling this in Rome took me back immediately to Minami Koshigaya where we would walk to the other train line and there was always the stall by the stairs and the man selling his chestnuts. The presentation was different, but the smell was the same.

Space. We SO take space for granted in the States! My family regularly reminds me that in Japan they would probably fit at least 4 houses in my backyard. Out in the the smaller towns in Italy you do see more green grass, etc, but more often then not any open space is filled up with rows of grape vines or olive trees. Most people have to use their land a little bit more wisely.











I certainly will never complain about the many conveniences of life in the States. Now that we have Alex and another on the way, I am extremely grateful that I don't have to battle public transportation on a regular basis, and that there are plenty of escalators and elevators to allow me to avoid the stairs at all costs with a stroller. But there is a part of me that would be willing to forgo some of those conveniences to be able to live overseas and feel like I am more at home...
the confused life of a tck. :)