Snow!!!
Well. I am back in the States! It’s weird to think that less than a week ago I was in sunny Costa Rica. I could tell that there had been a snow storm in Minnesota from the plane; the ground was whiter and whiter the farther north we got. I saw Albert Lea from the sky and got a bit teary eyed, knowing that I would be home soon, that this was reality. My semester abroad had finally come to an end. I was remarkablely non-choked up at the final dinner and slideshow and saying goodbye to everyone. Even 5 days after I am back, I really am not as sad about leaving than I thought I would be. This is not saying in any way that I didn’t enjoy my semester; it was the adventure of a lifetime! I guess what I am saying is I never thought I would miss my country this much, and with that my friends and family. It is good be home.
More snow!
Being home has brought a bit of shock to the system though. It is about 70 degrees colder in MN than it is in Costa Rica right now. I have taken to wearing multiple layers, even wearing my coat and hat indoors for the first couple of days. And it is so strange, they have hot water here!! The first time I took a steamy shower it was pure bliss. Hmm…what else. Oh, being out and about I have noticed that I am definitely in a different ethnic region than Costa Rica. Most of the people I see are pale skinned and tall. Also people seem fairly large, it seems true that Americans are a bit on the hefty side on average. Or more than a bit. There were obviously bigger Costa Ricans, but on average they just seem so much more fit than us. Just an interesting thing to notice; a friend that went to China for a semester and came back recently actually noticed this same thing right away. There could be any number of factors that influence our weight, but it could be that practically everything we could ever dream of having is in our neighboorhood grocery store! Seriously, they are HUGE compared to any I saw abroad. I was sent out to get a gallon of milk and while walking through the aisles just noticed how many brands and kinds of cookies, juice, crackers, candy, and everything else there was. It was overwhelming. They say variety is the spice of life, but surely too much variety would make life taste a bit cluttered.
I missed my violin!!!!
So those are the major things I have noticed, but I am sure others will pop up at random times. It is good to be home though, I have never had a December without snow, and it feels good to hunker down indoors and listen to Christmas music and talk with my family and know that I am home. I do want to travel abroad again, and hopefully within the next couple years, but it is good to come back to a place that is utterly and entirely home. Thank you to all that read my blog this semester and for supporting me through this crazy adventure I had! You should all get out there now and have adventures of your own J
