We are back in the USA now! And it feels weird. At first I thought I might have the urge to go home immediately, but upon arrival, I don’t want to go home at all! I want to turn around and fly back asap…..
Lots of things seem funny now:
- Everything is “un-old”, history is missing somehow. No old houses, cobblestone streets or castles! 😖
- Public transportation? NADA 🧐
- All our chargers fit in the power outlets without any adapter! 🥳
- Athleasure wear everywhere! It seems like everybody is on the way to the gym or just came back from running. Nobody wears “real” clothes 🤨
- All signs are in English 😆
- Ted is missing the European toilets that flush more efficiently than the American ones. Go figure! 😵💫
- We can use $$$ again instead of Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish Kronas, British Pounds, Euros or Moroccan Dirham. Plain old, green, every-bill-looks-the-same-kinda bills. 💵
- We start thinking about a to-do list for the time when we arrive home. Is that a good thing? 😇
- Where are the pedestrians? We see many cars, MANY cars, but hardly anybody walking…
- In America, everything is BIG! The streets are extra wide, the buildings are super tall and the cars are huge. 😱
- It is warm: 29 Celsius, 84 Fahrenheit. 😎
- Prices are not what it seems they are, because there is always sales tax added at the cash register. So the $1.50 yogurt actually cost $1.62 🧮
- And don’t forget to tip the restaurant waiter a recommended 18 or 20%! In Europe you cannot even add a tip if you pay with a card; they only can type in the amount of the invoice. You can tip cash, if you have a few €.
- Haircuts were so much cheaper anywhere we went. With the worlds best head massage, a great cut and an interesting discussion, the cut cost €19 in Lisbon. Our hairdresser was almost embarrassed when I gave her €10 extra (for both of our haircuts), she’s not used to getting a tip 💶
- Supermarkets in America are huge compared to the markets in Europe. Not even to mention all the farmers markets and fruit stands everywhere 🙄
Our Airbnb in Miami is in a building with 31 floors – we are on the 24th floor! Each floor has 10 apartments, where 1-2 people live. The ground floor is the lobby, so 30 floors x 10 apartments x 1.5 people = 450 people!
Welcome home to the USA!