Re-entry

All of the Foreign Service propaganda warns us that coming back to the U.S. can be much more difficult than living in a foreign country. Although I am not sure if that is 100% true for our family, I know that it has taken some adjusting.

I have not exactly gotten used to driving here. It takes forever for people to start after the light turns green. I miss the yellow and green combo that Colombia uses to get people ready to go. One other challenge has been that I keep looking out for the invariable open manhole. Road maintenance crews here seem set on slightly depressing the covers to the manholes so I find myself swerving to miss a covered manhole! I also still look over my left shoulder whenever I turn right so that I can make sure that another car is not turning right from the lane to the left of me.

One of the most distressing and interesting part of moving back to the U.S. is that no one walks here. The sidewalks are beautiful, straight and smooth but no one uses them. It is also interesting to notice that there are so many parking lots and parking is either free or inexpensive. There is no real incentive to walk. I love to walk and would prefer to walk over take our car. I have tried to walk even though layout and distances between stores is against me.

Some food items have taken me by surprise as well. We miss the amazing fruits and juices of Colombia. I found myself in the grocery store looking for fresh juices. I was out of luck but found some bottled guava juice that will have to do. An unexpected moment happened a few days ago. I opened up a packet of butter and thought, “I love the shape of this butter.” I did not understand my reaction because the flat rectangular shape of the butter in Colombia did not bother me. Somehow the square shape of the butter here in the U.S. was so familiar and so normal that it made me pause. It symbolized home.

We are glad to be back. As much as we love Colombia, we are happy to re-connect with family and old friends in a familiar setting. To the few that read our blog, come and visit us. We would love to see you all.