Pardon my absence; been busy re-acquainting myself with my country. It’s been quite a while I’ve been away and a lot of things have changed. After a grueling 48 hours of travel time with only 3 hours of sleep in total, we arrived in Michigan. Having not stepped on U.S. soil in four years, I wasn’t quite ready for the warm welcome that is Homeland Security. Getting through Chicago’s security was a nightmare.
A day’s relaxation at home was all it took to make it all worthwhile. I had forgotten the small details; the crisp, low humidity air, deep blue sky, and immense amount of trees and greenery. There are so many new cars on the road that I’ve never seen in person; and I used to be an avid car fanatic. Digital TV can be recorded and paused and even played back? You can drink from the tap (I still feel weird drinking it three weeks later)? Laundry is done in an hour? Internet is absurdly fast even at both of my parent’s homes. (my father lives in Michigan, my mother Tennessee). It’s gonna be hard giving up this type of speed. Ironically, I haven’t been on the computer/internet hardly at all. I’ve been far too busy doing absolutely nothing with my days.
We spent the first two weeks in Michigan, and I actually was working construction a bit for some of that time. (I worked construction for many summers since I was 14). It was a bit surreal being ‘home’ but we quickly got used to things. Driving on the right side of the road has been an adjustment, and so have the fuel prices. I’m driving a 5.2 liter V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee that gets a whopping 18 MPG on the highway!? It’s costing me about $90 to fill up each time. I can see why the price of used compact cars is rapidly rising in the States while there are tremendous deals on SUVs.
Last week we left my father’s place for Tennessee. We’re now at my mother’s – a beautiful home on a stunningly peaceful and serene lake near Knoxville, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. They have a few boats and a sailboat, and we’ve been enjoying going for boat rides and just relaxing near the water. To be honest, it’s going to be very hard to leave this lifestyle in August. I’ll post more regularly now that we’re on a more regular schedule, and have settled in.