Culture Shock... er... adjustment to the US

Aha! And you thought I'd dropped off the face of the earth! ;) Actually, I've been adjusting to life back in the US and enjoying some wonderful time with family, friends and my church. I "got off the boat" so-to-speak three weeks ago today and each of those weeks was full of things to get used to again (or be excited to have access to):

• wall-to-wall carpet!
• kitchen islands!
• green green well-manicured lawns
• lots and lots of walking trails and amazing parks
• press and seal! (what an amazing invention!)
• ziplocks-a-plenty
• sidewalks that you can actually walk on
• no parking on sidewalks -- the car must be in the gutter with not even a tire sneaking up on the sidewalk
• no yellow light to let you know the green light is coming
• wide-open spaces... aka "big sky", rolling hills, cows and wild horses
• public restrooms don't have squatties, but do have TP and soap
• having to drive to the store 2-4 miles away rather than just walking 10-feet out the front door
• salad spinners
• California golden poppies! (though I still love the red ones in the Balkans)
• prices! things are soo expensive...
• too many choices of everything I didn't know I needed!
• pepper jack and cheddar!
• Chipotle Tabasco sauce (really, chipotle anything!)
• gas at $2.20 a gallon (intead of $8!!)
• big wide-open parking lots and many many places to park!
• defensive driving rather than offensive
• pedestrians have right-of-way
• being able to understand all conversations around me as I walk in a store, down the street, or sit in a restaurant
• wild turkey crossings

OK, that's enough for now. There are a lot more, but perhaps I'll save them for a later blog. :) As I am in California now my blog will take on a distinct California flavor (with a few other states thrown in for extra seasoning), though I'll still try to connect it to live in the Balkans in some manner. Either way, I hope you enjoy this change of pace (like I am).

Carolyn from California