Back in the U.S. and A.

Well I’ve been back in the U.S. since May 1. Sorry that I didn’t post again before I left South Africa or haven’t posted since. It’s been kind of a whirlwind spending time in Kansas, Connecticut, and Arkansas with little time to settle into one place and develop a routine. Getting used to living in the U.S. again has also been a challenge. Granted I was only away for 8 months, but that is long enough to gradually lose your acclimatization to a place that you’ve lived in for all 30 years of your life.

My first stop back in the States was Memphis International Airport. With my miniscule bits of African contraband safely through customs, I stepped back onto American soil (or tile as it were since I was still in the airport) and headed for the nearest airport bar to grab a beer and ease the jetlag. The first thing I noticed was how LOUD everything was. My God we are a loud country! Not that South Africa is a place of solace and peace. They have crazy shopping malls just like the rest of the industrialized world. But for some reason, this small American airport seemed like the heart of Pandemonium. I don’t know if I had been desensitized to noise by living in a tent away from most of civilization or if I was just tired from traveling for almost two days straight. But I do know that those three hours in the Memphis airport are some of the loudest of my existence.