Stateside

I have been trying to get back into the swing of things since we got back from San Francisco last Friday. So strange vacationing in the States and then coming "home" to Switzerland. Seems backwards. I think both Josh and I had this same ongoing surreal feeling of being back. I would catch him dazing off into lala land while I had the shifty eyes, both of us not talking, but experiencing that same weird out-of-body feeling....like, is this for real? Did we really live here just a couple years ago? And, do we really live in Switzerland right now? Crazy how things keep changing for us every couple years or so. I wonder what is next.

Anyway, enough rambling. Wait. I think I am getting that same feeling as I write up this post. Looking out the windows wondering if those mountains are for real or if that snow is really there. Maybe it's just that I have been watching too much "House" that I am starting to hallucinate.

We had such a great time being back. It is amazing how easy everything is there. Just getting off of the plane in Atlanta and going through customs was interesting. Oh, me go before you in line? Did you really just say something to me and you don't even know me? What's that? You don't mind if I sit next to you without me having to beg you to move your newspaper? Even Atlanta English was a comfort. Still tough to make out all the words, but it had some resemblance to regular English.

Other feel good moments for us:

• Using credit cards even though it now feels weird to buy a latte for $3 with it.
• The option of taking a cab, a very inexpensive means of transportation.
• Everything is open on Sundays! Love this!
• Breakfast anytime, all the time. Even at 3am on a Saturday night...I guess really a Sunday morning.
• Big hotel rooms and real pillows. No more pancake pillows.
• Bonding with my old neighborhood Target that has been completely renovated. I have never seen anything so beautiful. Wish I had more time with you.
• And, driving. I actually drove a car from San Francisco down to Mountain View. Josh made fun of me when I requested a smaller car than their "compact" mini-van thing they gave me. Freaked me out. Made me miss the Mini.

Of course there were things that I didn't need to be remind of as well.

• The pee smell that seems to follow you throughout the city.  
• Dirtiness.
• Public transportation in comparison to what we have in Zurich. Josh and I couldn't even hear each other when screaming back and forth on our way into the city on the BART. I think we were both trying to tell each other how loud the train sounded, funny enough.
• The homeless. Everywhere. Very sad. 

Even with the 18-hour trip back, it was all worth the effort. Seeing friends, being back at Google, wandering through the city, shopping, eating, and enjoying the sunshine. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. Josh maybe, since he had to work. But, overall, it's always nice to feel at home even when you are on a "vacation".