People always ask how it feels to be back in the US. Here are some of the things I have noticed in this trip:
Grocery stores: So much stuff. Such a huge selection of everything. Especially yogurt. Lots of things I have never seen or heard of before. This is where I feel most like a stranger in a strange land - in the grocery store.
It took 2 weeks before I flushed my toilet paper without thinking twice. (In Honduras the septic systems can't handle toilet paper, so you have to discard of TP in the waste paper basket.)
Last week I was dropping off a friend at her house after visiting her church. She rolled her window all of the way down. It was beautiful outside. I knew the logical thing was to roll my window down too. But it was against every instinct that has been ingrained in me over the past few years. I rolled my window down completely and enjoyed the fresh air until we came to a stoplight. Although I realized it was completely irrational, I felt very anxious sitting there, stopped at the light with both windows open. I explained to my friend that if you leave even enough space for someone to stick their fingertips into the windows, they can force the window down, then put a gun to your head. It will take a long time for me to get used to driving with my windows down again.
People tend to use water differently in the US. For example in Honduras, we tend to wet everything, then wash it all with soap, then sprinkle handfulls of water over the top to rinse everything at once. This morning I heard the sound of running water. After a few minutes I realized nobody else was around, so I went to investigate. The kitchen sink was running. My host was watching tv in another room. I have become overly sensitized to the sound of running water. At another friend's house, water was left running purposely so it would get hot. I heard the sound of running water, saw nobody in the kitchen, and turned it off. After having saved each drop of water that came out of our faucets to reuse it for cleaning or watering plants, I have become very conscious about water.
Last week I attended Rockygrass Music Festival. They had a station set up for people to fill water bottles. They also had some sinks outside the bathrooms to wash your hands. It wasn't until the last day I was there that I realized I could drink the water that came out of that sink. It feels great to drink sink water. My mom lets it run until it gets cold, but I'll take sink water at any temperature.
Yesterday I went to the store. The cashier was a bubbly teenager. She asked if I had found everything I was looking for. After I made my purchase she thanked me and said have a great day, or something like that. I remembered when I first moved to Honduras it felt strange when I was not thanked for purchases.
I think the biggest change about being in the US is the new fashion style of short shorts and short skirts. My Mom thinks I am turning into a prude. Maybe I am but really, it is shocking to my eyes. I am so glad I am not the mother of a young girl in the US right now. I have seen more teenaged butt cheeks than anyone should ever see.
I also notice how incredibly healthy many people in Salt Lake and Colorado are. There was a river at the music festival last week so people were running around in bathing suits. It was like I was surrounded by professional athletes. Many, many women of all ages were pure muscle without an ounce of fat. I am not accustomed to seeing that many women at that extreme level of fitness - but good for them!
Man buns. I remember a friend posted about this new fad on Facebook a while ago - men wearing their hair in buns. It seems to be much more popular in Salt Lake than it is in Denver. Colorado men are sporting lots of brush cuts and beards. But every male server in Salt Lake (exaggeration, of course) is wearing a man bun and it is not pretty, folks. It takes a special man to pull off a man bun and look good. This should not be a trend for the masses.
Big trucks. Although I have grown accustomed to it now, when I first got to the US it was surprising to see so many big trucks everywhere. Really big trucks. I think people in Honduras tend to think more about gas mileage. (A generalization - obviously everyone in Honduras does not think the same.) When I bought my car and recently when a friend bought her car, gas mileage was a key factor as our Honduran friends helped us choose the right car. Also this horrible new green color is bizarre. I would ask who in the world would want a car that color green, but clearly many people do. It seems to be everywhere.
In Honduras we all have tinted car windows. My car windows are very dark so that nobody can see I am a woman driving alone. When I started driving in Honduras it took me a while to stop waving for other cars or pedestrians to pass in front of me. We use a short beep to signal that we are yielding. Now that I am back in the states, I forget that everyone can see me. I never think to wave a pedestrian across the street. If they wave to me to say thank you, I feel surprised they can see me.
A few weeks ago I got a flat tire. It is a long story, but it happened at night in a pretty desolate part of Denver. Had I been in Honduras, I would have never considered getting out of my car to fix the tire myself. But I did and in the process hurt my hand. In fact I am pretty sure there are broken bones in my wrist and hand. It's been two weeks and I still feel like I am going to vomit if I use them, plus there are places where there appear to be bones sticking out at odd angles. I'll get x-rays when I get back to Honduras because I have insurance there. The thought has crossed my mind that I wish I had been in Honduras when I got that flat because I never would have gotten out of my car and tried to fix it myself. Instead it has been a rough few weeks with this messed up wrist/hand.
While fruits and veggies are more expensive in the US, I eat more produce here than in Honduras. The reason I don't eat more veggies in Honduras is laziness. Since you can't consume tap water, it is a pain in the neck to wash and dry vegetables. I have to pat each piece of lettuce dry, being sure to get into the nooks and crannies if I make a salad. So I don't make many salads. My Mom and I have been eating a ton of salads in my time in the US. One night while I was in Salt Lake, my friend Jody made a huge salad bar for dinner with every fixing you could imagine. I have enjoyed salads and some veggies that are hard to find in Honduras.
Tonight I head back to Honduras. When I get back I have three urgent appointments - one with a doctor for my arm. Then I look forward to falling back into a regular schedule.
Fany told me that we no longer have internet at the house. This means that my posts will not be as consistent. I will do my best to post every time I have internet access.
My time in the states has been great overall. I got to see everyone I wanted to see except my friend Jenivere in Salt Lake, and Brooke in Colorado. Although I didn't see my nephews until the last week, I got some good quality time with them. That is what is most important. My time with my Mom was really nice too. I was so busy the rest of the time that when I was with my Mom we mostly relaxed. It was nice to sit around and enjoy quiet time with her.
My bags are packed. One is .5 lbs over the 50 lbs limit, so I am praying for favor with the people at United check in. Sometimes they have let me through with a bag that was 2 pounds over the limit, and other times they wouldn't let me through with .2 pounds over.
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