I have never been a big fan of grocery shopping. I always go and spend way to much money and stuff I don’t even need. I can never find at least one item on my list and I always forget at least one very important item. My normal frustrations of grocery shopping all changed when The World Race adventure began. We have done a lot of shopping for groceries but it is just not as easy as in the states at times.
I look back on my teams first grocery shopping experience. We all are in Dublin and had only been there a few days. We are still in the phase of figuring each other out. We are not sure what each other likes and doesn’t like. So as a team we are going to figure out several meals for the next week. The main thing is that we have a budget to follow which makes things a little more difficult. We also realize we have to give and take a little and just eat what ever is provided. So after an hour in the store we finally have several days of meals bought. This was an easy experience compared to shopping that would come later on during the race.
I remember our first trip to the grocery store in Romania and it was very frustrating. We are all there to buy different things so we split and all head down different isles of the store. I can not find what I’m looking for but I can’t speak their language so I cant ask either. I finally find something that looks like what I want but I cant read the label either. Finally I run into a team mate and ask for help. I finally get all I came for but now its time to pay for everything. Once again I don’t speak the language and cant figure out what the total is. The lady behind the counter finally points to the total and I pay her. The funny part is that I’m too cheap to pay for a bag so I attempt to carry it all and the lady just shakes her head and smiles at me.
Today I went to the grocery store in Bulgaria with Katie and Brandy and it was actually a very easy experience. We walked in and found what we went for and a few extras. I even bought a bag to carry all my stuff. I paid for my stuff and left with a peace that this is just my life now.
I have accepted the fact that going to the grocery store in the different countries will be different from home. I will either find the things I want and need or just do with out. I probably want have the option to drive around to different stores to just buy the brand name I like. I more than likely will not be able to speak their language or read the labels on the products but it will be ok. I now know that I will just walk up and down each isle and just make a good guess on which product is best to buy. So going to the grocery store will always be something I do not like to do but now it’s a fun scavenger hunt with no help for the most part. So welcome to a small part of my life on the world race.
