Through My Eyes…Returning to the USA (Part One)

Happy Monday everyone! As I’m writing this I’m back in the States, battling a pretty severe case of jetlag. But as I’ve been outside of the States for 3 months, coming back has been a transition. Here’s some of my thoughts, and if you’ve had a similar experience, maybe they’ll help you~~

1. Customs/Immigration
I’ve had to go through immigration/customs, I think 11 times this summer. And let me tell you, that has never been one of my favorite parts of travelling. I have had countless visa problems over the years, that I always get nervous when I step up to that counter. Thankfully this summer I didn’t have any visa problems. I did have some weird looks and long lines overseas, but I was really shocked that one of the officers in the States was the rudest to me. I understand that they have a lot of people coming through the terminals and that they need to keep order, but that doesn’t justify barking at someone just because they don’t know where to go. I imagine that my nerves were a little worn by the time I did get to the States, as I had travelled 27 hours, but still. If an American feels more comfortable and welcomed in a country other than her own, I think that’s a problem. (But the encounter with the officer did teach me more things, probably to be discussed in another post).

2. Lines
If you’ve been anywhere in Asia (and probably other places as well), you’ve most likely experienced the jostling that comes with standing in lines. Not only do the lines quickly become a huge mass of people, but if you don’t fit for your position, you quickly end up at the back of the line. This summer, I brushed up on my staying-in-line techniques and used them a lot 🙂 but once I came back to the States, the amount of personal space that you get in lines as well as the non-competitiveness was really nice.

3. Sound…or the lack thereof
While large cities have noise all the time, in America, if you live in a town or outside of the city limits, it actually gets quiet at night! There’s no dogs barking, no calls to prayer, no buses driving full speed down your dirt road.

Since I’m really tired, thanks to the lovely jetlag, that’s all for tonight, but more thoughts on transition will probably be coming soon!