Same-same, but different

 I've been living on Volcano Island for just under three months now. The people who know me occasionally ask the same sort of question in a few different ways:

- "Are you settling in well?"

- "Does it feel like home yet?"

- "Are you comfortable yet?"

- "How does it feel to be living on Volcano Island?"

Well, it's not so easy of a question to answer. I certainly have my routines, my shops, my people. The language is similar to where I used to live, the foods available are the same, a lot of the cultural expectations are the same. But after being on Clove Island for 9.5 years, my level of ease here certainly doesn't rival my ease there. Things here can rock along pretty easily, then a moment of friction or surprise happens. 

"Wait, what did you call a baguette?" - (baguette cake/bread?)

"Oh, we say that phrase in reverse." - (us all/all us)

"HOW much does that cost?" - food's much more expensive here

On my good days, I work on investigating the new information, adjusting my language as I go, and thanking those who adjust my understanding of things. Because reality is, it's a new island, a new language, and new people that I'm working with and living among. 

On my bad days, I store things away to process later, because the emotions of the moment are just too much. 

So how is it living on a new island? Same-same, but different.