Здрасти Каролинка!!

I love the last sentence of your post:

"changing and being changed by a place and the surprise you feel when the world you used to live in catches up to you in unexpected places and in unexpected ways."

It's weird how no matter how much time you spent in a foreign country, there are these moments when little things from your past stike you and make you ponder... You feel a little homesick, the differences make you mad,  and then you realize that having two lives is quite enriching, actually!  Think how boring it would be if the whole world had quarters, and McDonald's and Starbucks were everywhere (wait a minute, sadly the last one is already true!!!) ;-P