I made it home! Awesome. And here’s the best part. I somehow managed to get bumped up to First Class on my 16 hour flight from Hong Kong to New York. 16 hours of luxury. It was AMAZING. My seat turned into a bed. Food throughout the entire flight. I’ve never been so full on an airplane. I even got a plate of cheese, grapes, and crackers and port wine! Free. Wow.

The girl sitting next to me had also been bumped up, had also just graduated in May, and had also been teaching english (in China). Really cool. So we bonded over our feeling slightly out of place with all the business men. (Some of who complained often about the most ridiculous of things – like one threw an adult temper tantrum and was causing a scene because his soup didn’t taste right or something along those lines. The service manager (Yes, in first class, they have a service manager who comes around to personally introduce himself and make sure you’re being treated like royalty.) had to come and offer the guy some coupons and discounts and other things to get him to calm down. Wow.

I was a little bit pissed. I mean really? I just got back from seeing some people that have so little they don’t have shoes, who have to supplement their meals with frogs from their fields to get nutrients, who sell their daughters into prostitution to make a little extra cash (as little as $100), who don’t have the opportunity for an education,… I could keep listing. But you get my point. And here this guy was sitting in the arms of luxury complaining about his soup?! Really, brotha? Really? That’s always hard.

So anyway. My flight from New York to Houston was unfortunately delayed by 4 hours. Annoying. But, the great news is, I got to see a BEAUTIFUL sunset from the plane.

So, now I’m back. Definitely a bit jetlagged. I woke up at 5:30am this morning :O

I enjoyed my first hot shower in over 2 months. It was GLORIOUS. Though, I’ve already had some tiny reverse culture shock moments… It totally freaked me out when I got in my dad’s car at the airport and the steering wheel was on the left side of the car. SOOOOOOOO weird. I know that’s normal. But, I got used to that being the passengers side.

Also, I’m very cold all the time so far. The temperature of Southeast Asia vs. here is comparable, but the difference is that air condition isn’t a big thing there. Most places just use fans and are at least a little open-air. And if they do have ac, it’s just used enough to cool you down, not turn you into an icicle. And I got really used to it. I mean, there were times it was annoying to wake up with a layer of grease from the humidity on your face. But I mean, you just get used to it. And ice isn’t really that common… I might have to start asking for water with no ice here for a while. Ha. But seriously.

I’ll miss the food – at least to some extent. But I am DYING to eat a sandwich! Haha. Ok, seriously, I didn’t miss american thaaaaat much, BUT, there were days, I would have killed for a good sandwich.

I also won’t miss having to use squattie potties, and feeling like there’s consistently dirt under my nails. Yay for good hygeine again!

I don’t look forward to tipping at restaurants (because you don’t tip in asia mostly). And buying food is going to be brutal at first. I rarely spent more than $5 on a meal, and that’s including if I bought something to drink. And to spend $5 was quite an expensive meal in most places. $2 or $3 was usual. I’ll miss that for sure!

Sooooo anywayyy. Back to real life. Job searching and such.

I also have to get a new phone. And I’m finding myself extremely frustrated. I just want a rather simple, normal phone, like my old one. But all that verizon offers for reasonable prices (well only sometimes reasonable) are really hi-tech phones. Phones with full QWERTY keyboards that flip out. Phones with touchscreens. Phones with internet. But nothing normal. I don’t want a full keyboard – it just makes the phone bulky. I don’t want a touchscreen. I HATE touchscreens with a passion. I always end up pressing the wrong things. And, I don’t really care to have internet on my phone. Call me old school. But I’m ok with that. So, my search continues…

Ok, this may be my last post on this blog for a while… especially because I can talk to you in person now! 😀 So, farewell until I travel the world again.