Reflections on Life Back in the States

I've been home 8 days now.  It's great to be home and see family and friends, and I love going to OGC and seeing all the wonderful faces that encouraged me throughout the year.  I've eaten pizza at least 3 times, taken three trips to Publix, braved garage sales on Saturday, gone to Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, frozen yogurt and watched Captain America at the theater on Friday.  All the things I dreamed about (especially Pizza and Tacos!), have been accomplished. Ironically, they didn't taste as good as I'd dreamed about in my head prior to my arrival; and they've surely taken their toll on my unsuspecting stomach that is now used to a milder menu. 

Oh, and did I also mention that I met my nephew?!  He's pretty much "the cutest thing ever" as my mother likes to say about 5 times an hour when he's here! It's been a blast hanging out with him and Amanda and James and seeing all the cuteness I've heard so much about for the last 7 months.

Ok, so these aren't the best pics of Aunt Julia (or Auntie Julia as my sister insists), I think maybe I'm still jet-lagged, but his cuteness makes up for it! :)

So, I thought it might be entertaining to share some of the more shocking aspects of coming back to the States this summer.  Well, some of them are just different, not really shocking. Others have been rather shocking.  I've always heard of reverse-culture shock, and as this is the longest I've ever been in another country, it's really true for me this time. 

- Last Sunday, I wore shoes in a church for the first time in about 10 months! It felt so strange. Today though, I didn't think much of it. Funny how quickly our brains and our bodies can re-adjust.

-I'm freezing all the time, every where! (Well, except outside in the heat!). But my body is completely not used to the air-conditioning saturated environment.  I wrap up in a blanket at church, shiver in Target, and even with my dad's 79 degree house, I'm still cold and using a blanket most of the time! Today mom and I were getting in the car to go to Publix, and I said, "Shoot, I should've brought a jacket to Publix it's going to be so cold."  I almost like being hot! (Remind me of that when I'm back in Laos and complaining of the heat!)

- The speed of traffic. It doesn't feel so strange since I'm now enclosed in a vehicle, but the fastest I ever drove in Laos was 70 kph, which is about 40 mph. Big difference from driving on I-4 and the 408/417 which I've somehow frequented numerous times in my mere 8 days back at home.

- Scheduling. Ok, so I wasn't really an organized, scheduled person before I went to Laos. But then I went to a country that doesn't really have schedules and where people routinely cancel or arrive an hour late, or call you the day of (or hour of, etc!), and then come back to my family... and if any of you know my mom, she's pretty scheduled (she's infamous for writing "open can of cranberries" on the cooking to-do list for Thanksgiving one year! Now that's scheduled!) So, needless to say, it's been a bit of an adjustment to get used to a schedule and I've noticed my attitude about time is way more laid-back than before.

- Packaged food - I opened up a Target ad and was surprised to see that almost every food advertised was prepackaged, even fruits and vegetables.  Though I must say, this option is far more fragrant (or should I say, just smell-neutral?!), it was strange for me to see that - especially after a year of shopping in open-air markets where everything is just laid out on a table, nothing is prepackaged (except hot dogs, which I actually really love in Laos!) and food is fresh from the farms, probably even that morning.

- Prices. Oh my goodness, everything feels so expensive to me now (even though last year it felt completely normal!)! Let me just give you a sampling of prices in Laos:

• one month of rent for a 3 bedroom house - $410
• An "expensive" electric bill - $45
• A bottle of Pepsi (20oz) - $0.60
• A plate of fried rice - $1.25
• A 5 gallon jug of water - $0.30
• A bowl of ice cream - $0.60
• A full meal consisting of rice, fish and vegetables for 4 people - $5

And the real kicker... I put gas in my car this week (didn't even fill it up) - 11 gallons, $40 and it will probably last a week. In Laos, that same amount would buy me gas for about 2 and a half months - it costs about $4 a week to run my motorbike. A pretty sweet deal. I'm thinking about selling the car and scooting around town for the next 2 months!

It's funny to feel like your home is unfamiliar, but I know I'll adjust to everything quickly. Probably will take about 2 months and then it'll be time to go back to Laos, and then I'll start the adjustment process all over! I guess it's just the reality when you live in 2 cultures, but then, I wouldn't want to have it any other way! :)