When we landed at Cairo Airport in December, we knew we'd be shifting our known standards of living. As I write from Jaipur, India, 5 days into our month in this country, we can confirm that we have felt this shift in our bones, our minds and in our stomachs. I know you can experience many of these differences by walking through diverse neighborhoods or going to eat at an authentic local restaurant. For us right now, it is ALL different ALL the time. It is immersion 24 hours a day. You wake up in this difference and move throughout the entire day in it. It can be exhausting.

I remember telling my teachers not to worry when their newly arrived students would appear to shut down in the afternoon, maybe put their heads on their desks or even fall asleep. They had reached their max of hearing English and of trying to understand everything happening around them. Sometimes that is how we feel now. In Giza, we took solace on the rooftop of our guesthouse for long hours, knowing that if we'd venture out 5 steps we'd be chatted up, invited in and asked for money by just about everyone, all while navigating around stray dogs, camel poo and fast-moving Tuk-Tuks. I wonder what our brains looked like when we were in that heightened state!

The beauty of this stress and exhaustion often comes hours after its past. We lie in our beds and talk about the highlights and lowlights, rehashing our experiences and trying to unpack why someone acted the way they did and why and how we reacted. With each passing day in this very different environment, I think we grow a little stronger and a little more understanding of others and ourselves. Man, it can be hard work!

Heres a peek at the differences we've encountered so far - enjoy!

In the kitchen - a water kettle is AMAZING and the best invention, why didn't we have this in our kitchen at home??? Thank goodness for it as a potable water maker and helpful when your options are instant ramen noodles or having to go out again!

In the bathroom - let's talk bidets...I mean, they're pretty great, and really indispensable when you are not allowed to throw toilet paper into the loo (which is everywhere here). We are not keen on bucket showers, however, brrr.

In the bedroom - we are currently sleeping on the world's thinnest mattresses, and they are just not comfy. In our current house, we are lucky enough to have 2 beds, but the theme has been 1 king-sized bed for the 3 of us, cuddlefest.

In the stomach - on the whole, we have really, really enjoyed trying new foods and there have been fantastic finds, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say an omelet a day for a month might just be too many. Currently, we are tip-toeing into Indian food while trying to avoid the dreaded Delhi belly.

In our ears - for a whole month we've been hearing the call to prayer several times a day starting very early in the morning. Some have been more beautiful than others, Luxor = lovely, Agra = yikes.

On the road - if it can move and carry passengers we've seen it. In Egypt, it was tuk-tuks, camels, horses, carriages and a million cars. In India, we've seen cows, horses, elephants, tuk-tuks, bicycles, pedicabs and what seems to be a billion cars.

On the street - our Roman neighborhood was the first place we encountered that had little to no sidewalks, now that is basically the rule. We now weave single file up the streets trying our best to avoid getting run over by anything that moves. Watch out for holes, poo and sleeping pups (which are everywhere!)

At the bank - Egypt demands cash for literally everything, India, on the other hand, is almost a cashless society. Each country is, perhaps unsurprisingly, cheaper than any European country (except maybe Italy). Egypt averaged $35/day for food and $46/day for housing while India so far is $40/day in food and $35/day in housing.

Stay tuned for more differences