Finally home. Seems like I’ve lost 2 full days to travel and exhaustion. But we are here despite some minor airport rescheduling and 8 hours later, so were our bags.
It’s much better than being stuck an extra day in America and me panicking about making it to work on Monday morning on time. That being said I hated having to talk to all the airline employees and try to sort everything out and knowing that depending on their mood and my approach determines which rules they are willing to follow and bend. But it’s not worth getting into, I’ve traveled a lot and I know when to call bull on their little game of pass-the-problem onto the customer.
The important thing is to make sure you ask for what you want and make it clear when things are not appropriate. Like when you go to Starbucks and you ask for no whipped cream and they give you whipped cream, to ask them to make it again. I’ve lived up to the part I’m responsible for and it doesn’t make me a bad person to ask for what I ordered.
Ahh in America I’m a bit rude and demanding from time to time. I’ve lost the saccharine waitressing crap I never liked anyway, but in Germany I’m still a bit of a pushover. But especially if it comes to things I’m consuming and things I’ve been looking forward to, if I am going to consume and pay for it, it has to be worth it.
Things that were tough in America this trip is a tiny little list, but includes:
- translating everything, over and over for the bf, essentially having many conversations twice
- being responsible for any issues that involve extensive talking, like what directions the person gave or what the rental car guy said i.e. things that I’ve gotten used to the bf doing here, so it’s only fair anyways
- finding things that I wanted to eat, that didn’t have added sugars, that didn’t have chicken, that didn’t have pork, (or at least non organic meat) that included some veggies, that didn’t have corn syrup (practically nothing). It was easier in Colorado, for sure. I still gained weight which was the reverse of what my body was doing in Greece. But it’s hard to control all that when you aren’t making all the meal decisions. This is a rant for another day though and something I knew I was getting myself into and deal with every time I go to America.
- not getting enough time to read
- no sparkling water
Things that I enjoyed back in America:
- Family and friends, duh
- driving again
- orange and cranberry juice
- pumpkin in food and coffee
- Kind Coffee and dunkin donuts
- Estes Park and the mountains and wide open spaces
- FREE PUBLIC RESTROOMS (I have sprinted around so much holding it in Europe. I almost always have to plan my shopping around a bathroom break. It’s alright, but I love going into practically any store and knowing it’s there if I need it).
- Books in English, duh
- Steaks- Had the best filet ever with dad at a trying-to-be-eco-friendly steakhouse. I don’t like anything about how they raise/slaughter animals in the USA. (read Eating Animals by Jonathon Safron Foer.) I made a compromise for steak/beef this trip, might not make it again next time. Time will tell.
- The friendliness and smiles and being able to talk easily and pleasantly to strangers, with the added bonus of not thinking about grammar rules while doing so.
- Corn on the cob
- Colorado beer
- oh yeah and reunions with lots of people after 4 long years
On Monday it’s back to school and back to work and back to the daily grind, but I’m lucky to live in a place where vacations are accepted as necessary! So that’s all tonight, time to reset my body clock.
littlemsami 