Twenty Four Hours of Sunlight

Some observations on my trip back to the States after a year away.

*you can get a lot of reading done in that time...nearly 500 pages.

*your ears eventually get tired of holding earphones.

*somehow stinky American feet in an airplane is worse than European body odor in the subway.

*one can eat 1 breakfast and 3 lunches and still be starving at sunset.

*I can't imagine how out of place the cute immigrating family from southeast Asia must feel in O'Hare.

*you're not supposed to lug your luggage to your flight checkin after customs...there's a place to put it.

*you can't help but rather disgustedly eavesdrop on every English conversation you hear, and are strangely comforted by the 2 families that speak German.

*why is it you have an aisle seat when you don't need the bathroom, but a window seat when you think you might?

*ordering at McDonalds is amazingly easy in English.
*the stewardesses are polite in Europe and friendly in the US.

*you feel slightly treasonous putting your residence as US on the customs card, but feel that it will simplify matters to do so.

*after 24 hours of sitting there is no comfortable position.

*In-N-Out as your fifth meal of the day is perfect.

*leaving home to go home is weird.

*the sunset on the plane is almost as nice as on the beach.