Alien Surroundings

Okay, so I know we've only been away for 11 months, and we only moved two countries south. Living in Guatemala means we're even still on the same continent and hemisphere, for goodness sake! But, even though we've only been back in the United States for about five hours, we're kind of sort of shocked over every little difference. (And there are a LOT of them.)

I'm sure it sounds strange, but after going 11 months without flushing toilet paper, seeing a drinking fountain (let alone being able to use one), or stepping on carpet (think about THAT one!), this sort of seems like a whole new world.

Here are a few more of the many revelations and surprises we're rediscovering in our first 24 hours back in the states:

• Radio stations we can understand and music we know
• Remembering to say, "excuse me" instead of "disculpe" when you bump into someone
• Smooth and reliable roads with rest stops. (We'd honestly forgotten about rest stops.)
• U.S. Netflix selections - there are so many more options!
• Things written in miles and feet instead of kilometers and meters
• The fact that we can understand road signs, advertisements, people... 
• Road kill other than dogs
• Cheetos! A & W Rootbeer! Beef jerky! Starbucks! Etc, etc, a million times etc.
• Air conditioning in buildings
• Our favorite television shows in English
• American money - looks and feels totally different
• Hotel staff that acts like they actually want you to stay at their establishment
• Vertical light switches
• Being able to rinse our toothbrushes and fill up water bottles from the sink
• Putting our passports away and not needing them for six weeks

Honestly, the waves of differences just keep coming. Each new moment is filled with startling finds in our home land, which somehow has become a strange, alien surrounding in its own way. It certainly makes for some interesting moments, but we're so excited about rediscovering the land we love!