Finding Understanding

Being a mathematical-minded person, I devote a great deal of time finding understanding. I want to analyze things and further my understanding. Naturally, I also want to know a bit of what is going and feel comfortable. I have never had as much difficulty doing this as I have in the past two weeks. I realize that it is quite likely that I won't understand much by the end of our time here. It will take most of the time to get used to the customary activities. I don't know how much I understood in my home country, where I had 25 years to analyze and adjust. But I throw myself at the task anyway.
No matter how much time we devoted to preparing to come here, it was not a possibility to be truly ready. There is just too much change. On a superficial note, even though multiple people told us about the fashion here in advance, it was not possible to be ready to see what is in style here. Men carry purses. Now, this isn't me just being Mr. Masculine and unnaccepting man bags. These are actually purses by North American standards. We were also told several times that people wear really pointy shoes that curl up at the front. While you try to visualize that I will point out that I still haven't become accustomed to seeing men wearing elf shoes. I heard about these fashion trends, but could not fully realize them until I saw them firsthand. The question is, will I ever become comfortable with them or even understand them?
Fashion seems like a pretty small aspect of culture and it might seem as though I have a hang up on something petty. It is probably true, but it is also merely an example of all of the different realities that we are experiencing all of the time. When we were driving away from the airport a mere two weeks ago and I was a bit shocked by the buildings I saw. I thought it was a craftsmanship thing. More than that, it was so much different than what I was used to. Two weeks have passed and it seems like the city gets nicer every time we go there, but will it ever seem normal and comfortable?
I tell myself that language is the first main obstacle that I have to navigate in my journey to find some understanding. Once I am able to make small talk in Russian or simply be confident when people seem to be yelling things (possibly obscenities) at me on the bus, then I will be ready to become more comfortable in the new culture and gain greater understanding of it. Will I ever understand or be truly comfortable? No, but the mathematician in me sure finds it fun to try.

Dave