Oh hello America. You are not Singapore. And so begins the next chapter in the life of a one, Christopher P. Kent. And apparently it is time for a refresher course in American Life 101.
Its 9 AM. I've been up since 4AM. The flight home began at 7AM Monday. I flew 8 hours to Japan, then flew from Japan to Chicago, a flight which began in the late afternoon, went through a dark night and back into day, and I arrived at...2PM on Monday? Yes, this feeling is bizarre. But not simply for the fact I feel I like a very tired international time traveler.
Back in the good ole' US of A. Just another time where I have gone abroad, gotten acclimated to the culture and life of day-to-day, only to come back and realize that I am going to have to re-Americanize me. Let us begin with the bus. Is it a good thing that I will no longer be a patron of public transport every day? Back to driving a car. On the what side...the right side of the road? And can somebody tell me now where am I going to get my dosage of spicy Indian food served on a banana leaf with lime juice? Wait, don't tell me sting ray is illegal to eat here? Do you sell durian? But seriously, rice has become a staple in my diet, as regular as only eating 3 standard meals each day, with no snacks before, after, or in between.
Hey, what the hell is that black-square thing hanging on the wall...oh yeah, a flat screen TV. No, I am not saying they do not have those in Singapore. Everything we have they have (if not more modern). But it happens that I did not have one in Singapore and did not watch TV one single time while away. Somebody please tell me the Smithsonian Channel is still in full bloom. Perhaps they are once again showing History on the History Channel? Nah, it probably still shows trucking, guns, pawn shops and other non-historical stuff.
OK, you get the picture, there will be an adjustment.
For those who read my Singapore blog (http://www.ck-singapore.blogspot.com/) you know my feelings on living in the moment and the positives of embracing life and the place in which you are. Hence I did so in Singapore. Well now that I am back, the opposite applies. So I will need to catch up on my baseball for one. I missed Summerfest in Milwaukee. Thank goodness other festivals are coming up - German fest is on the horizon! I will need to hear some good old rock 'n' roll and blues.
Of course the best part of returning to somewhere you know are seeing your people. For me, Singapore was a few months. But it doesn't matter. I spent a few years in France. Same effect. It could be 2 months, 2 years, 2 decades. Goods friends don't miss a beat. Whenever I come back we jump right into the conversation as if I had been there the previous evening. And that isn't an American thing, you can find that wherever you make good friends.
What is American is drinking beer in parking lots before baseball games. So is going to water parks, boating, and water skiing, hot dogs, cheese curds, PBR or Miller. The good news is half the summer is still left. Plenty of time to re-Americanize myself before another semester of grad school.
That's the INTL lead on returning home to America as I see it. Cheers!
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