Back in the USA, after five years (excluding brief vacations to visit family)
The day after my flight touched down, I drove an hour outside Manhattan to visit my brother's family. His three kids are all nine, and in the throes of learning about the 50 states. On the way to and from baseball practice, they recited the states, I tested them on the capitals, and lost ten bucks to my nephew Ben who rightly insisted the capital of New Mexico was Santa Fe while I bet it was Albequerque. So much for all my world travel and knowledge of Asia! All it gets me is ten bucks poorer. My niece also impressed me by reciting the names of national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone and telling me which states they are in, and reminding me that I could spend the enxt half of my life travelling just inside the borders of the US.
It's WAY too early to see what's changed since I last left, but I'll notice more in the coming weeks after I open a new bank account (and see what's happened to the banking industry), get a mobile phone (I've never had one in the US, when I lived here last the connections weren't good and the pricing plans too complicated), start watching TV (so I can understand what people are talking about); read more blogs (which weren't a real force in US media/social life when I left, and I'll have more time since I am not gainfully employed yet -- so I will also see what the job situation is like!).
Chère Jessica, i'm happy to see that your return home is happy and that you discover your nephews and nieces ...
I often visit your site !
Waiting for news !
Posted by: Françoise | June 11, 2005 at 02:24 PM