I was in the UK last year with new flats, and of course they cut into the back of my ankles to the point where I needed a band-aid. I went into a store, found the bandaid aisle from the signs, and then just stood there staring for what must have been 10 minutes. I had to call someone over to point me to the bandaids because I just couldn't spot any!  

The problem is that the US BandAid branding is so stuck in my mind (the blue and red), I was looking for the same colors from the box I'm so used to: 

The US Bandaid Brand The US Bandaid Brand

But in the UK, the BandAid brand is completely different! It was white and green - something like this: 

That was probably the first time I encountered this, but as I keep traveling outside the US, this of course applies to many other products. Not only is it hard to find the product I'm looking for, it is hard to know which brand is the "good" one (e.g. when choosing a yogurt for example). 

When I went grocery shopping for the first time since landing in the US this weekend, I bought my favorite brand of Olive Oil even though the AirBNB I'm staying in already has Olive Oil. I was just soooooo happy to see the Olive Oil that was so familiar - something I've used for years when living in San Francisco. 

Anyway, brands are something we take for granted and event find annoying after seeing all the ads and commercials for them, so I'm shocked at how much a familiar brand can center me and bring me home.