A post in which I give a lengthy description of a shopping trip

It's strange how many mundane tasks become complicated and difficult for new foreign exchange students.  For instance, going to a grocery store.  There are a few nearby, however as with anything near a college campus prices are high and selection is slim.  It's a strange an new concept, living in a world where I can't just jump in my car, drive to the walmart and buy exactly what I need(and find a $5 movie to bore amuse my friends with to boot.  Key focus being on the what I need portion of the statement, because often times what you need and what you end up buying are often two different things entirely when you go abroad.  To make a long story short, a peach from the international office took a few of us to a grocery store a bit out of town in her car.  It was like heaven.  You know you've probably lost it when you find yourself pushing a shopping cart around in a happy daze and getting somewhat overly emotional over the discovery of cornflakes.  (it's been a long trip and I've eaten a lot of things that I'm not proud of, give me a break, ok?)  There were many, many things to delight in.  Loaves of bread, for instance.. Do you know how hard it is to get carbohydrates out of anything other than rice here?! Further more, this is a culture that does not disguish between meals meaning you literally eat rice and kimchi at all three meals.  (Rice in the morning, sailors take warning.. Or something like that)  The cornflakes was a well received find, is all I know.  Additionally, I was also able to find coffee (almost real smelling instant coffee.. pip, pip, hooray!) and gouda cheese.  I was very excited about this cheese, as it was a dairy product and a bit expensive.  Note for those of you back home:  Milk is about a dollar a pint here..  I'm not entirely sure how everyone is getting their calcium.  Anyways, I got home and pulled out the bread very carefully, and began taking off the colorful wrappings for my cheese and discovered it was... processed cheese with gouda flavoring?  Yes, it was a white American cheese that smelled vaguely like gouda.  Refer back to my comment about not always getting what you want or need.... Otherwise, the trip was a great success and I am now the proud owner of a stocked cupboard.  What a wonderful life I lead.