Bonjhola

EP 76: Finding Comfort Beyond Borders: Revelations from our Relocated Lives

• Rebecca West

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In this episode of Bonjhola, hosts Aimee and Rebecca share their adventures of moving from the United States to Europe.  Aimee discusses her recent extensive travel and the challenge of adapting to different regional essentials. They delve into how scents, foods, and fashion preferences change with different environments, touching on experiences from Alaska to Iceland. The conversation highlights the interplay of comfort and surroundings, exploring how both hosts adapt their ways of living and nostalgic connections to their new European homes. They also offer practical tips for travelers looking to blend in and bring back meaningful mementos from their journeys.

Where to find Aimee:

Where to find Rebecca:

Speaker 2:

Welcome to Bon Jola, a podcast about two women, Amy and Rebecca, who each move from the United States to Europe to become expats. Amy to Spain and Rebecca to France. We're here to share the highs, the lows, and the logistics of this adventure. Encourage you to follow your own, move abroad dreams, and remind you that you're not alone when the going gets tough. Enjoy.

Aimee Delamore:

Rebecca,

Rebecca West:

I hear today that we get to.

Aimee Delamore:

I guess, yeah, that's, it's for lack of a better word, but I just feel very, so, so for the listener, I'm back in Spain. I've been back in Spain now for six days. This is the first morning where one, I slept more than three hours at a time, which is very exciting to get six hours straight of sleep. as of as of this hour, on this day, I feel like I have conquered jet lag, but we'll see how I feel tonight

Rebecca West:

How, how long have you been home from the states? I missed that.

Aimee Delamore:

oh, oh six days

Rebecca West:

Six days to recover from jet lag. Okay.

Aimee Delamore:

Six days to recover from jet lag. Now, this last trip was Spain. Took Copenhagen for four days to Alaska for two and a half weeks, to Seattle for 10 days, to Iceland for three days back to Spain. So we've been gone for about, we were gone for about five weeks. Several different. Countries, although I was very, very excited that everything was in the far north of the of the Northern Hemisphere. So I didn't have to pack for say, um, Cyprus and then pack for Alaska, right? it wasn't a combination of beach attire and rain gear, so that made packing really, really nice. But. It was just a, you know, a matter of packing for Alaska work clothes versus like my life. And one of the things that I noticed is how much the things that are essential in Spain don't work in other places and how I want and desire and need things in other places. In fact brought some of these things to Spain, but they don't get used because I'm in Spain and it's not, you know, things like KitchenAid gear or, you know, stuff. It's, it's scents and flavors and

Rebecca West:

Okay. So it's like how you would crave a warm fire on a cold night. You wouldn't necessarily crave that warm fire. Well, that didn't work at all.'cause I would definitely wanna fire pit in the summer, but you got where I was trying to

Aimee Delamore:

Yes.

Rebecca West:

on a cold night, beer on a summer day.

Aimee Delamore:

precisely. Precisely. But it's, but it's more specific than that because it isn't just temperature specific, it's, it's regionally specific. So one of the things that I've always been drawn to my entire life is the smell of the forest, the sweetness of,, Douglas fur, the tininess of, a, a big old spruce tree, right? Oh, and, and the, the. The really rich flavor of dark, wet soil. When I lived in San Diego, I craved it so much that when I flew back to Seattle for a visit, I actually brought mud in a Ziploc bag home with me and would periodically open up the Ziploc bag and huff the mud air

Rebecca West:

Totally makes sense to me. I get that.

Aimee Delamore:

because I missed it so much. And so I thought, of course. Of course I'm going to want all of my cedar lotions and essential oils and woodsy perfumes because these are the things that I wear that I wear, you know, period, end of story. But as soon as I landed in Spain, it felt like mixing stripes with paisley. It just. There was a contrast there that did not work. And so all of those things have sat unused and when I was in Alaska, the things that I am loving about Spain and that I immediately wanted when I landed like figs and fruit and oh my god, Rebecca, can I just say. The figs. The figs. I'm so glad we came back to Spain before fig season was over because I am, I'm dying. They're just. Figs have never tasted as good as they do here. They're absolutely exquisite and amazing. And for those of you who do live in North America, it is worth booking a trip to Europe just to eat figs here because they don't taste right

Rebecca West:

I'm guessing the difference, you know,'cause in North America we basically have fig newtons and these really sad, dried desiccated figs. I'm guessing it's the difference between somebody who grew up on canned spinach and then gets to taste fresh spinach, like in terms of, of, the night and day of being

Aimee Delamore:

term in terms of the yes, yes, per se. Not in terms of texture, but in terms of flavor and. Before we got onto this call, I was, down at the outdoor market and they had a pellet of figs for four and a half euro. I was so excited. So it's like 24 figs for four and a half Euro. Amazing. It would probably be like$50 worth of figs in Seattle, but taste incr, just candy. It's candy.

Rebecca West:

Now, of course, the question would be if you had those same figs in Seattle, if you would find them as divinely delicious, given that the cravings are geographic.

Aimee Delamore:

No, I don't think so.

Rebecca West:

Because that's what we found with the olives in Spain. We fell head over heels for the olives when we were there and we're like, Ooh, we're gonna start buying olives all the time. And we did. But they never ever got eaten in Seattle. And I'm not sure if it's'cause they weren't as good or simply'cause our bodies didn't crave salt.'cause we weren't sweating buckets in the heat of Spain, you know.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah. Salmon doesn't taste as, oh gosh. Is that a nutrition thing or is that a environmental thing That is hard to parse out because Alaskan salmon really is in a league of its own that nobody comes close to, but.

Rebecca West:

true. I have not had any salmon in Europe that comes anywhere near what we get from Alaska or, or the Seattle area. Just the whole

Aimee Delamore:

Mm-hmm.

Rebecca West:

but especially Alaska.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah. The, the foods that I want here are very different than the foods that I want when I'm in a different climate, so,

Rebecca West:

Well, remember when we

Aimee Delamore:

the clothing. Mm-hmm. Yes.

Rebecca West:

this food is so simple. It's kind of boring food. And then we come home and we're craving the simplicity of that, and it was so weird.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah. Yeah. I think it's a little weirder for you because Paris is a different environment, a different, although it was, it was getting into summer, so the temperatures were similar, I imagine, to what they were in Galicia when we were there.

Rebecca West:

Yeah, but as you as to your point, it wasn't the temperature. Gia and the Camino is a life of simplicity and quiet and contemplation and community. And Paris is party and work and judgment and learn a language and go fast and.

Aimee Delamore:

I love how nonchalantly you throw judgment in there like you're talking about

Rebecca West:

Oh yeah, the

Aimee Delamore:

like architectural style of Paris.

Rebecca West:

Oh. But again, speaking of that, the architectural style, you know, people like, they go to Tuscany and they fall in love with Tuscany and they're like, I wanna go home and have a Tuscan kitchen or a Tuscan house and it doesn't work. And that is. For authenticity of ingredients. That's one of the problems. But also the fact that the geography doesn't align with the color palette, with the building materials, with the roof slopes. Like I miss the world where our choices were aligned with where we are, because there's a reason, as you're pointing out today, that those choices feel good in the places where they started.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah. That reason alludes me because it doesn't, it doesn't follow the. It doesn't follow rational thought. You know, there isn't any, yeah. There isn't any reason why you shouldn't be able to, well, you know, didn't Elvis have a jungle room in his, in his mansion?

Rebecca West:

but when it's out of place, when it's out of place from where it belongs, it's, it's more of a theme. It's an experience. It's, it can be very cool, but it doesn't belong there.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah, I don't know that I necessarily agree that it doesn't belong there. I think you can decide it belongs there simply by doing it. you know, that said, when I think about decorating a home in the States, I feel a sense of grief because so much. Of what I love about decor here in Europe doesn't work in a log cabin or a, mass manufactured neighborhood home. It's just like, it's an aesthetic that, um, God, and it's an aesthetic that I find so gross now

Rebecca West:

The, the

Aimee Delamore:

they all. Yes, the boxy houses with a small windows and everything looks the same, and it's so icky and it feels fake and contrived is the word that comes to mind, but I don't know that that's an appropriate use of that word.

Rebecca West:

Well, I think in, in like science, they use the word derivative or in writing where you, you take the authentic, original idea and you just kinda keep distilling it down and it, or like fast fashion to. From high fashion. I mean, to me the, the problem is that the character, at least that I love here in Europe, is in the literal bones of the house. It is in the beams and the stones, the foundation. That's not something you can just pick up and transplant. That is age. It's like trying to have the wisdom of an 80-year-old woman when you're eight, just not gonna happen.

Aimee Delamore:

Can't do it.

Rebecca West:

But I wanna circle back to where you were going'cause you were gonna talk about cravings and clothes. I love that topic.

Aimee Delamore:

yes. So, you know, aside from, aside from the fact that like, I can't, can't in quotations, I can't wear my foresty sense in Spain because the smell of cedar on me or the smell of pine on me creates a friction in my sensory experience. When I am out and about in Spain, it doesn't work. I don't want it. And these are, these are aromas that I have clung to my entire life. And it also isn't something that I experienced when I, you know, spent like almost three, three, almost four years in San Diego, which really surprises me. But here it's like, no, no, that's not quite right. It doesn't work.

Rebecca West:

Is there something that you crave in its place?

Aimee Delamore:

No. Although I find lavender to be more appealing now than it ever has been, but I wouldn't say that I craved it. It just works better.

Rebecca West:

Well, I find that some I've, I've had, I've felt some of what you're describing and I relate it to like some things, whether it's a texture or a scent or a design style or they're cozy, they feel

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah.

Rebecca West:

right? They're warm and therefore they're kind of heavy, which. Is what you want when you're wanting to be cozy. And then other scents and textiles and decorating styles are, and foods same way, right when you crave a salad are light. And when I'm in a hot environment, heavy things, including smells that I love, I'm like, get it off of me. Get it off of me. Now to the point where especially with scents and clothing, I'm like, literally, I'd rather be naked

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah.

Rebecca West:

than wearing this heavy thing. I wonder if part of that's what you're experiencing.

Aimee Delamore:

I would normally say yes, but you know, I've been here two winters, and even in the winter when the wind is blowing and it's, 40 degrees Fahrenheit cold, even on mornings when there is frost, I still don't want that aroma. It's not right. It is really weird. It's really weird. And being in the States and now having the majority of my clothing coming from Europe, I felt a little off there. One, I felt like I was representing fashionista way more than I am

Rebecca West:

Yeah.

Aimee Delamore:

because especially in Alaska, people are like in sweats, pajamas, and Carhartts. In and that just, you know,

Rebecca West:

And you're like, look, I'm wearing slacks. I must be going to the opera.

Aimee Delamore:

Right. Exactly, exactly. I'm not wearing jeans, therefore, I definitely look like an outsider. And even in Seattle, which is more fashion forward, I think it was just the quality, I think the quality of clothing on the average person versus the quality of clothing that is normal here. I felt the difference, and I'm hoping nobody else noticed the difference, but I, I felt, I felt the difference and it was, um, it was weird. I also have been less likely, less, less comfortable in Europe, in Spain, particularly wearing some of the more. Outlandish, vibrant, crazy shoes and shirts and all of my vintage clothing. I don't feel comfortable wearing here. It feels gaudy and out of place and too loud

Rebecca West:

Yeah.

Aimee Delamore:

for where I am.

Rebecca West:

did I ever tell you when we went to Sweden? So we, we went to Norway when it was completely dark and we were, um, in the mountains and I was wearing my mom's 1980s ski jacket, which was in about six different 1980s neon colors.

Aimee Delamore:

Uh, nice.

Rebecca West:

Great jacket. So warm. It was perfect. Then we go to Sweden where there was daylight and Swedes wear nothing but black and I felt so. I felt like I was sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb to the point where I went to the store and bought myself a new coat. I couldn't get myself to buy black because it's just never something I'm gonna wear outside of Sweden. So I bought navy blue, which still stood out in Sweden, but not like a sore thumb. I felt, and it's such a silly thing to succumb to, why in the world would I spend money when we're only gonna be in Sweden for one week? But I felt so it, it feels like being a loud American only. It was just visual. It felt like I

Aimee Delamore:

Yes,

Rebecca West:

does that make sense?

Aimee Delamore:

it totally makes sense. I mean, nothing says it's, it is a siren call that you, you're the outsider, right? You're the outsider. It's no different than showing up to Europe in a Hawaiian print shirt with a huge camera around your neck, you know?

Rebecca West:

sandals.

Aimee Delamore:

Right. and socks and sandals, screaming tourist. I had that exact same experience in New York City where I had a lime green puffy coat that I was wearing. Manhattan and dang it was Manhattan, so everybody was wearing black and I felt really uncomfortable. Like I stood out like people are, oh, and then, oh God, people are gonna think I'm from like LA or something. It's so colorful. Did not succumb and buy another coat'cause it was like four days and I refused to, but I did feel deeply, deeply uncomfortable.

Rebecca West:

I will share two tips with our listeners. One is, if you're gonna buy something, make a choice. Either buy something from a used clothing store, which is one of my favorite things to do, or totally disposable, or buy something you actually like. Like for me, I bought a really good coat. It is still now part of my wardrobe. So like don't go mid. Don't go in the mid-range of just throwing your money away, but it was too much money and now you feel like you have to hold onto this thing you or you have to pack at home. Either choose something you will definitely pack home or go disposable or my favorite, favorite, favorite things. Find those secondhand stores. It's a great way to save money and also have a little adventure.

Aimee Delamore:

and if you are traveling, you can also take a look at. Some pictures online, some sense of what is the fashion of this place at this time, and get a sense of what, you know, if you are wanting to blend in, what would be appropriate and what wouldn't with regards to colors and styles and things like that. It, it's really fascinating because I do have a lot of clothes that I absolutely adore that I am struggling to wear here because it just, and more, I don't have a problem standing out and being a little loud. I mean, that's why I own all of those flu v shoes and, and some of my, some of my more crazy pieces. But it does also. Feel like it doesn't work for the environment that I'm in, in a way that I'm still struggling to untangle enough to, to be able to verbally articulate.

Rebecca West:

It also might have to do with phases. Something we've talked about a lot

Aimee Delamore:

True.

Rebecca West:

because like I know when I first got to France, I was obsessed with blending in because everything was so scary and raw and I felt like such an idiot. I was like, the least I can do is not call attention to myself. And now that I am much more comfortable living in Europe, um, a lot more of the creativity and color has returned to my wardrobe.

Aimee Delamore:

Oh, interesting. Hmm.

Rebecca West:

But then of course we keep moving and so that resets.'cause every time I'm in a new environment, I am a scared little mouse. I'm like, okay, I gotta do my recon. What are the rules? Because I am brewing more comfortable with breaking rules in my life, but first I need to know what they are. That's how I know how I feel safe and what feels safe to cross.

Aimee Delamore:

Right, right. Know the rules in and out so you know how to break them.

Rebecca West:

I mean, that's the best accounting advice there is, right?

Aimee Delamore:

Yes. If you have a CPA, who suggests that you've found yourself a damn good CPA.

Rebecca West:

Now, you said you touched on foods a little bit. You touched on clothes, touched on decorating. Are there any other topics where you're finding this to be true, where you're having these different cravings, or did you find anything surprising in the more unique places like Iceland and cro? Where was it? Croatia. Where'd you

Aimee Delamore:

No. No. Gosh, it'd be so cool to go to Croatia Copenhagen. Yeah. I am finding, I'm finding this year since we are doing, since I'm doing more traveling anyway, that I'm starting to collect. Meal ideas and recipes from all the places that we've been. Um, yeah. So in Copenhagen, and I'm totally gonna butcher this'cause I speak no Danish at all, but a s'mores board, you know, the open faced sandwiches. I had one in the Copenhagen Airport that was freaking out of this world. It was smoked salmon with a. Horse radish cream cheese. And then they had shaved fresh horse radish on the top and had a thinly, sliced cucumber and some fresh herbs, a little bit of fresh dill and what looked like a couple of sprigs of clover. It was beautiful to look at. It was gorgeous to eat. It was amazing. And. I did bring back some horse radish from the states. I don't know if it's possible to get fresh horse radish root in Spain. I suspect not. I suspect we're too far south for that and that there's not enough of a market because Spaniards don't like anything

Rebecca West:

that has any heat? No.

Aimee Delamore:

kind of spice or shocks the tongue in any kind of way. so I think that will allude me until I get back, you know, into the states on, on a more permanent basis. But I did, I did kind of recreate it a little bit and. In Iceland, I had lamb stew, which is a regional dish, and lamb stew is completely appropriate in August in Revic because it was 60 degrees overcast and the wind was blowing, you know? I was like, yes, lamb stew sounds fantastic. Thank you.

Rebecca West:

Nice.

Aimee Delamore:

Um. And that's a very simple recipe of just root veggies, a little bit of thyme, a little bit of rosemary and lamb chunks and a salty broth. And I was like, yeah, this is super easy. I'd love to, you know, integrate this along with that, you know, gian lentil salad And I've just been noticing that I'll find certain things in the places that we go and I wanna bring them back.

Rebecca West:

I think that's

Aimee Delamore:

Integrate them as part of our, our family history told through food, right? Like this trip, we had this thing and so now we can have it.

Rebecca West:

and of course. You are a nutritionist. Food is like your whole jam. And it's so not mine because I'm not the cook in my house. But it's funny the parallels that I hear because, and it, and it parallels something that I'm missing because as I've said on the podcast, many times, I'm missing nesting. I'm missing having a place of my own. And one of the things that we used to do, so during the first like decade of our marriage, we would take one month, one month trips to Europe. And then we would always buy a piece of art that represented that place. We'd come home, and so we had this beautiful big gallery wall of all of our adventures told through art pieces.

Aimee Delamore:

Can I pause you for a moment?

Rebecca West:

Yes, you can.

Aimee Delamore:

I am doing this. Like trying to bring back little pieces of things from our travels. How do you reconcile that art from foreign places in an American home? Like how does that work?

Rebecca West:

I don't, I don't understand the question.

Aimee Delamore:

Going back to the original, the, the earlier in the conversation when we're talking about how European things don't work in,

Rebecca West:

Mm-hmm.

Aimee Delamore:

in the American space, right.

Rebecca West:

Well, I, I do find art to be. Something that can cross over our design styles. So when it comes to art, uh, framing has a huge amount to do with that. So if like I was really trying to create something consistent and clean, I might put all of the pieces in frames that either matched or were very close in color or style.'cause that can unify things that are really disparate. You can also purchase kind of with, um, with your design style in mind. I didn't do very much of that, but that's one of the things that can be done. Um, and then it's also about, it is about your decorating style. So our decorating style is kind of an eclectic and mid-century inspired vibe. So it's very cozy, it's very human scaled, and it's very layered. And so having a lot of different kinds of art and different frames fits our design style.

Aimee Delamore:

Got it.

Rebecca West:

So just like if you're building a strategy for a wardrobe, you gotta decide, am I gonna be strategic about this or am I just gonna buy things I absolutely love and they have to work together. I'll just force'em. You can come at it from either angle and meet in the middle and some, some choices make it harder and some make it easier. another big thing though is going, this is a thing that almost everybody gets wrong, is going big with your art because things that are monumental. Just kind of work because they look on purpose, even if they look out of scale, and it's lots of tiny, tiny things that just end up looking like a lot of clutter.

Aimee Delamore:

exactly.

Rebecca West:

Mm-hmm.

Aimee Delamore:

And that's tricky when you're traveling because bringing back big pieces is quite difficult to do.

Rebecca West:

We always

Aimee Delamore:

And big

Rebecca West:

that were unframed, so we could roll'em up in a tube. Um, or that were actually small enough that that did fit in our luggage, but then I would often add a mat that was four or five inches when I was framing it. So that would give it a bit more size.

Aimee Delamore:

Nice.

Rebecca West:

and also when you're doing a gallery wall, assuming you're not trying to go for something that's all same, same, same, the, the way you lay it out, if you can anchor it with a couple of big pieces, then you fill in with smaller pieces and the whole thing becomes one big piece that's made up of smaller pieces. There's lots of, there's lots of ways to get there. So if anybody out there is confused about how to do it, I'm an interior designer and I can help you. Call me.

Aimee Delamore:

I may end up doing that at some point.

Rebecca West:

I'd be happy to help you. I, okay, so you know that your delightful, loving son made me a 3D printed fox that sits my by computer. I picked up an Amsterdam, a 3D printed, articulated snake.

Aimee Delamore:

Oh yeah.

Rebecca West:

And it's in this sort of metallic green that is the same color as like a peacock's neck or diap ice, which is my favorite gem. So now I'm, I'm creating a little traveling menagerie, and those are the things that I am carrying with me as little tokens of the people and memories. Since I can't have all my big art right now.

Aimee Delamore:

Can I connect you back to the thread that you had started on when I interrupted you?

Rebecca West:

Only if you remind knew what that was.

Aimee Delamore:

Well, I think you were talking about decorating

Rebecca West:

bringing home art. Oh, so you were talking about how you were collecting recipes and I was talking about how I used to this. So you wanted to tell the history of your family through food. I was telling the history of our family through the things in our home, but I now no longer have a home, so I'm really happy that you're doing food'cause that'll go everywhere.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah, I wonder if there's something that could go everywhere with you as well, and, and, and I will puncture the belief in that statement, because some ingredients, you can't find where you are, so you can't always bring it with you. But you can do, you can, you can do your best.

Rebecca West:

I have found one of my secrets to success is in, um, both daily objects, like the phone case on my phone. That was a gift from my parents and jewelry. So like, I've got a pair of earrings from my stepdad. I've got a pair of earrings that kind of marks a milestone in my, in my business. Um, as I travel, I love buying rings. So those kinds of things have now become a big part of what's meaningful to me that I actually do carry with me.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah, that's great. And jewelry is a wonderful thing to collect as you're traveling because it is so small. And then you can, you can also put it on your. Person and carry that memory with you that day and and be reminded every time you look down at your hands and see the ring or whatever. So I love that.

Rebecca West:

that. you and I got a necklace together before the Camino, and it has become my walking necklace. When I'm wanting to go connect with nature, even if I'm not in a place where nature is just wearing that necklace brings me back to that time and place.

Aimee Delamore:

Wow, that's awesome.

Rebecca West:

Yeah. Okay, so hold on. We've gotten to Alaska where they have salmon. We've gone to Spain where they have. In my opinion, olives, we've gone, we've had smorgasbord in Copenhagen and Stew in Iceland. What's in Seattle? That's good.

Aimee Delamore:

You know, the, the thing is, is like, I don't have anything for Seattle or Paris. I think because they're such big cities and we eat eclectical there and there isn't a, you know, what is the regional dish of Seattle? Like Iver's chowder? Is it, what exactly

Rebecca West:

a vote. I have a vote. Um,

Aimee Delamore:

Well, Seattle always wants to take salmon, but as an Alaskan, I, no. I'm, I'm sorry guys. Sorry.

Rebecca West:

We are definitely on the same team There

Aimee Delamore:

Seattle is to Alaska. What? Portland is to Seattle when it comes to salmon.

Rebecca West:

when we were in Lano, we had something that immediately brought Seattle back to us, and it was a fancy version of a Seattle dog.

Aimee Delamore:

Oh my God. Oh, that's hilarious.

Rebecca West:

Would you like to tell? Do you know what a Seattle dog includes? Would you like to tell our

Aimee Delamore:

Doesn't it have cream cheese?

Rebecca West:

It does cream cheese and grilled caramelized onions on a really good like Ki Basa sausage, I think it is. I'm not sure what kinda sausage it is. It is so good. So that's what I nominate as the Seattle item.

Aimee Delamore:

I have never had it, so.

Rebecca West:

Well, yeah, you're gluten-free, so you can't have the bun part.

Aimee Delamore:

exactly. And it's really hard to have cream cheese and grilled onions on a hot dog that you're eating with your fingers.

Rebecca West:

Yeah, it's true. Well, for all you gluten, non-gluten free years out there, if you're in Seattle, I do recommend a Seattle dog. They're super, super tasty.

Aimee Delamore:

I bet by time, by this time, I mean it is 2025. They probably do have gluten-free buns there now.

Rebecca West:

Yeah, that's probably true, but they may not be. It may not be the full experience. Your life is curtailed by your gluten situation.

Aimee Delamore:

Yeah. Yeah. This is an established fact.

Rebecca West:

Okay, so let's wrap this up into some takeaways. Are these, are these takeaways around what to pack? What is the takeaway here for our listeners?

Aimee Delamore:

I guess my realization with all of this is that there are things, there are ways of my being that I didn't realize naturally, um, that have come to light living in a foreign country. I didn't think that the things which have been familiar and comfortable to me where I've been, would no longer work here. That is not a blanket statement about everything across the board. There's, there's quite a bit actually that I brought here that does bring me comfort, but some of the things that I use to reflect who I am or how I am or things that bring me comfort don't quite work here and things that I have here that I feel work well. Don't work in the states. They don't feel quite right in the States. And so I'm, I'm realizing a deeper level of how much I am influenced by my environment that I didn't. Have an opportunity to fully understand before, and I don't know that there's necessarily any specific takeaway for the listener so much as just like an awareness, I guess. Particularly if you already know that you tend to be a creature of your environment, that you chameleon a little bit depending upon where you're at. Or have very strong, visceral needs attached to locale or season. That this may present itself much more strongly for you than someone who doesn't have those associations.

Rebecca West:

And I think you'll be surprised by. Not, I think you will be surprised by what is a challenge and what you miss and what you don't miss. I could care less about having a dryer, for example,

Aimee Delamore:

Oh, yeah.

Rebecca West:

and, but some people will like be so sad without their fluffy towels. That'll be something they miss forever and you

Aimee Delamore:

Until you realize, until you realize that a non fluffy towel is an excellent exfo land.

Rebecca West:

It also absorbs water better because all that fabric softener actually repels water. That is so weird to me.

Aimee Delamore:

Oh, I don't use fabric softener.

Rebecca West:

Well, me neither. But now that I don't even dry my towels, when I am handed these fluffy things when I'm traveling, I'm like, what is, get this away from me. Give me my crusty exfoliating air dried towel please.

Aimee Delamore:

I never ever thought I would hear you say that.

Rebecca West:

know this is what I'm saying, people, you're gonna surprise yourself.

Aimee Delamore:

I know that we had a conversation about the crusty towels very early on after we had moved to Europe. I don't recall. Well, it was part of what we were adjusting to was the crusty towels and then we had, you know, shared that, you know, it is actually really great for exfoliating the skin, but it is definitely something that we were both adjusting to. But I don't know if that ended up getting into a recorded episode or if that was

Rebecca West:

I don't know.

Aimee Delamore:

we were having beforehand.

Rebecca West:

That's so funny. You'll discover new things about yourself, but that's the whole point of doing this. Right.

Aimee Delamore:

It is a massive benefit. Whatever brings you to a foreign country, if it's work or retirement or what have you, it is definitely a side bonus.

Rebecca West:

I think that's a good place.

Speaker:

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Banla. If you did, the best thing you can do is share it with another person, brave enough to move abroad. See you next time.