It’s always colder than I think it will be – even when I look at the forecast.

My first stop is Ryman (don’t ask me why – I’m just addicted to office supplies).

My second stop is Boots to stock up on all the pain relievers that I can’t get over the counter in the US (you can get codeine OTC here!).

My first trip to Starbucks reminds me that they don’t have Equal and no one uses “half and half” – so I have to switch to lattes and get my own Equal.

It takes me at least a day to remember to walk on the left side of the sidewalk and another day before I start looking in the proper direction when crossing the street.

Everyone writes dates backwards.  Although, since the US is the only country that writes dates MM-DD-YY, I suppose we’re the ones that are backwards.

Common words and phrases are used differently and almost everyone has a better vocabulary than I do. 

What does this have to do with change?

Being here makes me think more carefully.  It makes me listen more closely.

It reminds me both that sometimes when things look the same they aren’t, and other times when things sound different they’re actually very similar.

It makes transparent some of the basic assumptions under which I continually operate.

Understanding our assumptions, biases, and expectations are absolutely required before we can change (ourselves or our environment).

This is really good practice!

Photo from About.com