The Joys of Shopping

I think we all take for granted things that we can get easily. I know that I have. I think, being in the United States, everything is pretty much at our disposal. We can find things at any super market that we walk into and wouldn't ever think twice. In Dubrovnik, it's very different. We don't have fast food that we can drive through and grab something quick. There is no Starbucks or Peet's coffee. I can't get a To Go cup of anything in this town. I also have to go to several different stores to find what I'm looking for.

Today, I went grocery shopping with a friend of mine. We had to go to two different stores because one didn't have everything that we needed. The store could be the same store chain and they will offer completely different things. It's annoying but after being here for nearly a year, I've grown so accustomed to it that it's just a natural thing for me to go to several different places to get what I need.

I find it interesting that I can't find Venus razors or anything like that for shaving my legs, but there are always razors for men. Sexist? I thought so at first, but I don't think that really is their intention. I think that the stores assume that men aren't going to run all over town to get razors so it's just placed in every store. In fact, it's at the front of the store next to cashier so that the men can just easily grab them on their way out. They are simple creatures that don't need a lot of fuss, I suppose. If I want to get razors, however, I have to go to a special store for that. That store is found in town and since I live in the country most of the year, I have to drive about 45 minutes just to go buy the razors I need. I also have to go that store for makeup, face scrubs, perfume, tampons with applicators (sorry to the men who read this), and body lotion that isn't Dove or Nivea.

When I first went into that store for my razors, I literally spent two hours wondering around looking at all the different things they had. I was in heaven! I looked at everything! I would grab things that I could find in the states that I thought I would never find here. I would giggle to myself and take a moment looking at the product as I thought back to the time I saw it in California. I'm pretty sure the people who worked there, thought I was insane. I was just so excited! I was like a kid in a candy store. You would have thought I had just discovered the wheel!

You should have seen my face when I discovered large sliced bread for sandwiches here. Picture Julie Andrews running up the hill in the Sound of Music and you will have an understanding of what I felt inside. It truly was a glorious day and I continue to get really excited when I see new things coming to Dubrovnik.

I'm waiting for the day I walk into a store and find Hershey kisses. That will complete my life.