I Need New Underwear

Welcome to my random musings about the world, on a weekly-to-occasional basis.

Where we are: We’re in Raleigh, going to appointments, visiting family, and running errands. Doing All The Things.

I Need New Underwear

I’m writing this on a plane, on my way to the US. When I arrive in Raleigh on Tuesday, there will be a stack of parcels waiting for me. We always resupply loads of stuff when we visit, and tearing into that pile of boxes is like Christmas—it’s so exciting. My favorite moisturizer! New bras/underwear/socks! A year’s worth of prescriptions! Fresh contact lenses!

Yep, it’s just like Christmas, for people who give really boring gifts.

I started placing orders in August, but knowing where to send them was a bit of a dilemma. Last year we sent them all to Lane, who was living in Raleigh, but that wasn’t an option this year. A friend said we could ship to his address, but he’s had several boxes stolen from his front porch, so we decided that might be risky. He’s thinking of installing a doorbell camera.

We needed a couple of items back in May, while we were in Japan, so we asked our Airbnb landlord if it would be okay to have an Amazon order shipped to our Tokyo address. He said the only potential problem might be rain, because rainy season had just begun. The fact that our front door opened directly onto the street and the packages would be left on the sidewalk was not an issue.

After that I started paying attention when I walked around the neighborhood, and I realized that people often leave their bicycles unlocked, on the street. You’d think if there was a theft problem, the bicycles would all have locks. Some do, but most don’t. I also saw umbrellas and rain shoes outside, unaccompanied. This was in the most urban of urban environments, where apartments are all on the street. There are no yards, no fences. Just buildings and pavement.

We ordered our Amazon items and they were delivered and no one stole them from our little patch of sidewalk. I wandered around the city after dark, and left our windows open when we weren’t home and didn’t always lock the door.

People in the US often ask us if we feel safe in our travels, and our answer is unequivocally yes.

I just hope all my new stuff is safely waiting for me next week. It’s time for new underwear.

Take care,

Lisa

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