I've been back in the US for less than a week and I've noticed some things about life back here that I wanted to spew out before I forget them/I get used to them and no longer recognize them as unique.
1. I really missed walking around barefoot in a house and not feeling dirty from doing so.
2. To go along with #1, it's nice to NOT have to sweep a house 5 times a day (and still feel like it's dirty)
3. It's noisy over here. Cars, planes, lawn mowers, dishwashers, tvs, etc. Quite different from the chickens and church announcements I'm used to in Guatemala.
4. Driving is hard. I never realized how much (over)stimulation happens when driving. Especially on highways, and when you don't know where you're going. Not only are you watching the road, but the gas tank, mileage, kids in the back seat, radio nob, directions, lights.....I never realized how exhausting it was since I was so used to it! BUT, I LOVE having a car. Not only for the freedom, but for not having to lug around all my stuff from errands the entire day. Just pop them in the car and let the car carry them instead of a sweaty backpack.
5. It's SO nice to have water fountains and (FREE) bathrooms (mostly clean) everywhere you go
6. My sister has great taste in clothes and I'm so grateful we are the same size and she doesn't mind sharing with me (or doesn't have a say since she's out of town)
7. I LOVE going to the gym!!!!
8. Americans have a lot of STUFF and they don't shy away from being rude and angry in public : ( I HATE bureaucracy (wow, normally, I consider myself a good speller, but that word made me feel special) and "policies" as much, if not more so, than when I left!!!!
9. It's nice to....
*play in grass without fire ants or scorpions,
*eat pre-cooked organic beans (make that anything already canned and ready to eat without soaking
overnight and boiling for a few hours),
*have the freedom to go places (even at night),
*watch tv
*leave the house without storing my computer, money, etc. in a safe
*eat veggies without disinfecting them
*sit on a sofa
*sit on a carpeted floor
*take great showers and have non-frizzy, not only-pony-tail worthy hair
*have a printer
*go to the library
*not have to make an entire day trip to go to the bank or grocery store or key copy or any other errand
*have a DISHWASHER! and washer machine, and dryer!
*Appreciate my country for some of the good things it has to offer.
10. CHEMICALS---I'm not a fan and they seem to be everywhere. I've always been sensitive to them but even more so now that I've removed them from my life (as much as possible). I went to the gym the other day and had to cover my nose every 5 seconds from all the chemicals being sprayed. It seemed like every time I tried to breathe, someone was spraying a machine down, spraying their towel, or using hand sanitizer. I won't even get into why this is SO TERRIBLE for everyone involved, so I'll just say it was smelly, burned my nose, and made it hard for me to breathe. Only bad part of the gym...the rest was great!
So, it happens quite often that I don't have a good photo and I simply "Google Image search" what I want to portray in the blog. It's usually spot on, no matter what randomness I type. For this entry, I typed, "It's so good to be here, even though I still miss home"....and google must be out to lunch because the results had NOTHING to do with that...they were too funny not to share. So here are some of the best picks. Enjoy.
I guess I'm missing the woman in me? Time to go paint my nails.
1. I really missed walking around barefoot in a house and not feeling dirty from doing so.
2. To go along with #1, it's nice to NOT have to sweep a house 5 times a day (and still feel like it's dirty)
3. It's noisy over here. Cars, planes, lawn mowers, dishwashers, tvs, etc. Quite different from the chickens and church announcements I'm used to in Guatemala.
4. Driving is hard. I never realized how much (over)stimulation happens when driving. Especially on highways, and when you don't know where you're going. Not only are you watching the road, but the gas tank, mileage, kids in the back seat, radio nob, directions, lights.....I never realized how exhausting it was since I was so used to it! BUT, I LOVE having a car. Not only for the freedom, but for not having to lug around all my stuff from errands the entire day. Just pop them in the car and let the car carry them instead of a sweaty backpack.
5. It's SO nice to have water fountains and (FREE) bathrooms (mostly clean) everywhere you go
6. My sister has great taste in clothes and I'm so grateful we are the same size and she doesn't mind sharing with me (or doesn't have a say since she's out of town)
7. I LOVE going to the gym!!!!
8. Americans have a lot of STUFF and they don't shy away from being rude and angry in public : ( I HATE bureaucracy (wow, normally, I consider myself a good speller, but that word made me feel special) and "policies" as much, if not more so, than when I left!!!!
9. It's nice to....
*play in grass without fire ants or scorpions,
*eat pre-cooked organic beans (make that anything already canned and ready to eat without soaking
overnight and boiling for a few hours),
*have the freedom to go places (even at night),
*watch tv
*leave the house without storing my computer, money, etc. in a safe
*eat veggies without disinfecting them
*sit on a sofa
*sit on a carpeted floor
*take great showers and have non-frizzy, not only-pony-tail worthy hair
*have a printer
*go to the library
*not have to make an entire day trip to go to the bank or grocery store or key copy or any other errand
*have a DISHWASHER! and washer machine, and dryer!
*Appreciate my country for some of the good things it has to offer.
10. CHEMICALS---I'm not a fan and they seem to be everywhere. I've always been sensitive to them but even more so now that I've removed them from my life (as much as possible). I went to the gym the other day and had to cover my nose every 5 seconds from all the chemicals being sprayed. It seemed like every time I tried to breathe, someone was spraying a machine down, spraying their towel, or using hand sanitizer. I won't even get into why this is SO TERRIBLE for everyone involved, so I'll just say it was smelly, burned my nose, and made it hard for me to breathe. Only bad part of the gym...the rest was great!
So, it happens quite often that I don't have a good photo and I simply "Google Image search" what I want to portray in the blog. It's usually spot on, no matter what randomness I type. For this entry, I typed, "It's so good to be here, even though I still miss home"....and google must be out to lunch because the results had NOTHING to do with that...they were too funny not to share. So here are some of the best picks. Enjoy.
 |
| I've never met Natascha, but I'm sure she's lovely and I would miss her if I knew her. |
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| I do miss having funds in my savings account so I suppose this is somewhat on target. |
 |
| It's not even Friday, Google. Get your s**t together. |
 |
| Too many possible captions running around in my head to pick just one. |
Okay, I'll give you credit for these two. I do miss my garden and my dog, so....
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