Here and There

People are often asking me if it is hard to transition back to life in the US (sometimes they don't bother asking, but just tell me how hard it is. Especially in the cereal aisle, they say). I can completely understand why the cereal aisle can be overwhelming, it is to me even when I've been in the U.S. for a long period of time so I just generally avoid it. But, in fact, it's not been that hard, at least not yet. This is probably 1. because I've been back and forth several times in the past five years and 2. because I've not started thinking yet.

I have noted a few things though, petty, not-deep-and-thoughtful things.

1. Certain receipts are outrageously larger than they should be.

The receipts on the right are from JC Penney's and are each for one purchase. The receipt on the right is from a second hand store and there are at least 5 purchases. I've recently learned that the real man J.C. Penney was pretty holy and the Fairview Mennonite Church in Surrey where my grandfather was a pastor even had a signed copy of his biography. Considering this, I don't think he'd approve of the wasted paper.

Things I miss about Mozambique:
-full-service gas pumps (Think how much better it would be in below freezing weather if you didn't even have to get out of your car once, not even to pay.)
- vegetable markets

Things I like about life here
- smooth roads, even when they're not paved
- boxelder bugs rather than cockroaches
- cruise control

I get nervous when:
- I use a credit card machine (the ones you have to slide the card yourself) to pay at a store
- I write the date. I always have to think about whether the day or month comes first. I'd become accustomed to day first and that made sense in my head because then if you write the name of the month, no numbers are next to each other and you don't have to use a comma. Now, I forget. It's worst with my birthday.

I get nervous about these things because they seem like things that people my age should be able to do as easily as brushing their teeth. I mean, no one has to think about which end of the tooth brush to put the paste on. It should be that easy, and it's not. I mess up every time and the person watching me raises one nostril in disgust at my stupidity.