The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

When we moved to Vienna in 2007, I can't remember having moments where I thought I was somewhere else, like in Oklahoma City. But this week, I've had a lot of moments where I think I'm in Vienna. I'll step outside and I'm a little shocked to be in Oklahoma again. When I think of the grocery store, I don't think of Homeland, Wal-Mart or Akins. I think of Lidl, Merkur and Zielpunkt. I don't think of Bank of Oklahoma, Midfirst bank or BancFirst. I think of Bank Austria.

I remember missing things about Oklahoma City, but I don't remember thinking they're just around the corner or a short drive away. But, I find myself doing that now with Vienna. I find myself thinking that I'm just two Ubahn stations from Cafe Falk. I'll look something up on the internet about Vienna and, the map is so common to me, that it's just natural to think 'Oh, that's just around the corner.' When I look at the map of Vienna, I feel like I'm in the city itself.

I'm not sure why I didn't experience this when we moved to Vienna. Maybe I did and have forgotten about it. I'm experiencing it now, though. It's strange.