carrot, egg, coffee bean

i've often wanted to write a post about the "ashan experience" so here it is. ashan is a massive grocery store here in moscow, of which there are two. think, 3 times the size of a wal-mart super center, prices comparable to a big discount chain in the states like wal-mart or super target, therefore it's packed with people. and i don't say "packed" lightly. sometimes feel sardine-like in there. you are constantly and in the same moment running into someone with your shopping cart and being run into. and this isn't in a particular season or time of day - it is from open to close of the store. and since all the wheels on the shopping carts swivel, they can roll sideways too, which creates an added interesting dynamic. (i should say here that all wheels should swivel but that isn't always the case, like yesterday when i got a shopping cart with 2 bad wheels - now that is a work out!)
it is an extreme adventure. but the prices are such that if you can bear it, it is worth it about once a month.

a few things ashan has taught me...


1. don't wear my jeans with the buttons on the back there...they get hooked on other people's carts when i am bumped in to...
2. a smile goes a long way - the scowl on their face doesn't necessarily reflect their inside...
3. smiles usually are contagious and span languages
4. don't take yourself too seriously
5. make your grocery list according to the layout of the store because it will take you an hour to get back to the other side if you forget something
6. get in line about one hour before you want to be on the other side of the check out counters
7. be more flexible
8. an ipod makes a wonderful companion at ashan
9. take deep breaths
10. adapt

i really appreciate ashan and my experiences there.

i heard a great analogy yesterday, that i really want to carry forward with me. this takes me back to the subject of this post; carrot, egg, coffee bean.

the moral of the story is, be a coffee bean.

the rest of the analogy is this...

a carrot, when placed in hot water (the water symbolizes a stressful experience, environment, or pressure) goes from a firm state to mush.

an egg, when placed in hot water (still, that certain difficult environment) goes from a fragile place to hardened.

a coffee bean, when placed in hot water, works within its situation, becomes better, adapts, and what is inside the coffee bean changes its environment.

ashan reminds me to be a coffee bean.