Well, we are back in Minnesota for four weeks to make the transition to the Dominican Republic. Many of our friends and family have asked how it is to be back...well it is great. We are enjoying seeing so many friends and visiting familiar places. We aren't really having re-entry issues, but we have noticed some things about life in the USA that non-expats may not.
First our kids noticed right away that there are bilingual signs in the U.S. "Mom, why did they write "wet floor" in Spanish, don't people speak English here?" They were also initially fascinated that almost all the TV stations were in English and without subtitles. After 7 months of showers, they actually ask to take baths every night!
Brrr, it's cold here! We have now missed two Minnesota winters and we notice the chill of spring. The kids were shocked that the water is Ouchy cold from the tap and the rain is even cold.
Some funny things we have noticed are: music in stores is very distracting. In Guatemala any music is stores was in Spanish and pretty easy to ignore, unless it was blaring at mega-volume for a sales promotion. We are also getting used to shopping primarily by credit card instead of cash. Rick actually had to tell me, "Remember, Becky you have your credit card" after we divyed up the U.S. cash between ourselves.
After living in a small two bedroom apartment for 6 months, actual houses with yards seem huge! In fact every thing seems big: the aisles in the stores, the roads, the stores. The kids are loving playing outside in the yard where we are staying.
Foods we have missed: SALADS which we had infrequently, licorice, pickles, grilled hamburgers, hmmm not too many things. The kids are guzzling US milk. By the way, we definitely have lost our taste for U.S. oranges, processed orange juice, bananas, and imported tropical fruits. They all taste woody, pungent, or fake.
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