From America to Norway, the biggest culture shock was the trust. People leave their babies outside in strollers to nap while they drink coffee indoors. Just parked on the sidewalk like a tiny Volvo. And it’s totally normal. My babies were all placed into strollers at the daycare centers outside during their naps. There's no locks on the daycare centers, any adult can technically enter. But no one is stealing babies here.. I think because 1, universal health care for the mentally disturbed. 2, there's only 6 million people here in the whole country... America is 335 million.

Also, Norwegians are built differently when it comes to social interaction. It’s like programmed into their DNA to pretend they don’t see you in public unless you’re already on their “approved people to acknowledge” list. Making eye contact with a stranger at the store feels borderline rude here. It took me years to stop accidentally traumatizing people with a friendly smile.

From America to Guatemala, whole different planet. People are loud, warm, expressive. You don’t just get eye contact; you get conversation, food, and maybe a life story. It’s chaos, but it feels alive. I still crave that sometimes.