The move

Well ladies and gents I am now writing from the good 'ol US of A! It has been a crazy three weeks and I apologize for not writing sooner but today was my first day to be lazy and I did it to excess. I left Japan on July 28th and arrived the same day at Atlanta. My flights went well although I hate LAX (Los Angeles) airport and swear I will avoid it at all cost from now on. Long story short, you will need at least a three hour layover there, DO NOT attempt to pass through with less than that. 

The first thing I did was go visit my family in Alabama for four days and a great surprise was my cousin Dorann was there! The jetlag was horrible but my family helped me through it and we had a great time dining out, playing in the pool, shopping and talking. Then I came home to Beaufort, South Carolina.

Home. A lot has been said about this word, idea, feeling, location. I have moved my entire life and home has always been a loose concept to me. I think Japan taught me what home was and to treasure it. After three years in Saku I came to call it home but now I have returned to where my heart will always call home, the Sea Islands. My best college buddies came to visit me last weekend for a reunion and while I was driving around the islands with one of them, Rabyn, she asked me something I thought was interesting. "You and the people here really love where you come from don't you?" We have a mutual friend Katie who was born and raised in Beaufort and like me Katie is forever talking about our little town. I have spent the last three years talking about my home, my life here, our customs and odd quirks. I can say with a resounding yes that I do indeed love where I come from. I was not born and raised here but moved here when I was in Pre-K and we always came back over the years until we moved back when I was in 7th grade. I remember dreaming of the day I could leave and now all I wanted was to come back. Well I'm here and rediscovering the place I love.

So while I may not be able to give lots of stories about Japan any more have no fear you will get many stories about Southern life, reverse culture shock and of course I won't shut up about Japan that easily. I didn't get to tell you much so their will be some flashbacks. 

So far reverse culture shock is starting to settle in. This past week was hard and the peak was on Thursday when my mother and I had a big blowout argument. Oh if you didn't hear, I'm living at home with my mom, her fiancé, their dog, my grandmother and her dog. Things are better now but it is still tough at times. I do love being back though so whenever the day is getting tough I just think about the good stuff and walk outside to enjoy the views. It is one thing Beaufort is known for...our scenery. Every commute you have whether it is to the grocery store or to work offers a spectacular view of something. If that doesn't work then I plan my trip to England which is happening in October. Nothing makes a traveler happier then planning the next trip. 

One of the biggest challenges faced when moving home is learning about your own country/city/culture all over again. I have approached it like I have moved somewhere new and learning things for the first time. So here is a list of some things I have observed. 

* Packaging here sucks. You can not open anything without having a knife or scissors. 

* I am not sure their are real TV shows anymore. Just reality or game shows or talent shows are on.

* People talk a lot. I knew this and I am a talker but MAN there are never quiet moments. It always has to be filled with some noise. 

* Hamburgers really are amazing in the USA. I had forgotten how good they could be.

* It is sooo easy to get organic stuff here now!

* Japanese kids act better in public but I like how American parents deal with an unruly child more. 

* Restaurants have been my biggest challenge here. Funny how I always taught my students what to do in American restaurants and now I find it hard to function myself. 

Okay so that is just a small portion of my mental list of things that are strange to me. Stay tuned to hear about my night out to a redneck bar....