Homesick

At 4 am this morning, I found myself in need of an antacid. As I wavered over the option of leaving the warmth of my cozy sheets, the thought of the Orange flavored Necco-chip that Australians have come to call “Tom’s Tums”, I cringed. The gross aftertaste already on the tip of my tongue. It was at that moment that I hit my first “bump” of externship, and a longing for home crept in. It may sound silly that it was kicked off by the thought of my Extra-Strength Berry Flavored Tums that I have come to love back home, but at 4 am I guess you’re not the most logical.

This “Tums” reminiscing gave way for my Aleve longing to creep back in as well; After going to the gym and seeing an Ultrasound of my still-incredibly-inflamed wrist tendon, I have come to dispise ibuprofen, and was made a bit sad when my mention of “sodium naproxen” pain killer was returned with “yea we don’t have that” responses.

By 4:30, my thoughts had wandered to Halloween, and the facebook update I’d read earlier from my favorite Radio From Hell show back home: ‘Rocky Point Haunted House Opening Weekend’. For those of you who may have wondered – or may not have even thought to wonder – Halloween is not exactly celebrated here. It is a known holiday, and I’ve been told that occasionally you might see some kids in costumes, or maybe you’ll get a kid on your doorstep asking for candy, but it is a rarity. You won’t find decorations at the store (which are already stocked to the rafters with Christmas decorations – more on that in a later posting!) and you won’t see houses decorated with witches and bats and fake spider webs. No carved pumpkins (which are a food here – and a savory one at that! No pumpkin pies or cookies!).

I thought of our decorations sitting at home in my Mum’s basement, and of my sisters in California dressing up in costumes, and the theme parks with their “Haunted rides” and running through corn-mazes in the moonlight with the sounds of screams and chainsaws filling the air. I wondered, would they even know what a corn maze is here?

Lastly I thought of cars and food. My days of being a “vehicle owner” not even on ‘hold’ as I sold my car before I moved here! The bliss of hopping in the car to run to the store, or just driving up through the canyons in Utah singing by yourself. I thought of delicious Costa Vida,Wendy’s, Chinese Food (which of course they have here… but it’s still a bit different), and most of all – BBQ!

I knew it would happen- that they would come – these “bumps” in the road, these homesick moments. But who would have ever guessed it would begin with Tums and Aleve?