Brazil (2)

When everything is different you're much more likely to experience those moments when you wake up to something you've been taking for granted, that has become part of life, that you stopped thinking about a long time ago. I've used Sao Paulo's excellent Metro system a couple of times now but it will take me some time to switch off that "what the hell" moment of irritation, when you don't get your ticket back. It's such a trivial thing, knowing that the barriers for the trains and the underground at home give you back your ticket, and you should keep it until you leave the train system through another barrier. When did any of us last give it a thought? But it's obviously more deeply engrained than I'd realised because I don't like it when it doesn't happen here.

It's not just the being away that's good, it's coming home again more awake.