Alone in a foreign country
Learning words and routes
Traversing points of interest
Making small talk
Back hurt from backpack 
Stomach grumbling in anger
Eyes bereft of slumber
Exploring streets and shops

Meals are appetizers 
Floors are chairs
White is weird 
English is rare
Presents are daily
Activities are firsts
Pushing a bus stuck on ice 
Meeting people diverse and nice

Body naked and shivering 
Igniting a stone, stew simmering
Open-air bath hopping
Head dizzy, hot, and throbbing 

A different climate
A different culture
Different cuisine, intriguing norms
The same sun
The crunch of snow
Changing mentality
A cool robe

Everything is new
Everywhere, everyone
Time is different
And I am too.