Sad stroll

Just got back from my first stroll to the market with Dietrich. It didn’t go so well. I forgot my shopping list, Ukrainian money and my bag. Dietrich was screaming in the store, in the checkout line and while I went to change the $20 American that I fortunately had with me.

But the worst part was how lonely I felt. I must have passed 10 other women about my age pushing their babies in strollers, and not a single one of them did anything more than stare at me. I know that they don’t mean anything negative by it; it’s just such a shock after being in America where people are eager to ask about your baby. Americans tend to strike up conversation with people in similar circumstances – folks called for jury duty, people waiting in the long line at the post office, moms caring for their children. When we first got back to America, I remember being shocked, and maybe even a little offended, at how open people were – like, do I really need to know the medical history of the girl changing into her swimsuit in the same locker room where I’m changing into mine? But now I miss that transparency.

Hopefully tomorrow’s outing will be better.