After a grueling 38 hours spent on flights & in airports, I finally made it home! I was supposed to make it by Wed evening, but didn’t get in until Thurs morning. My 1st flight was delayed 4x & finally cancelled, so they put me on a different airline. I was pretty much jogging from the domestic to international terminals in order to have time to pay my $25 departure fee & change over the last of my NZ $’s, after which I had 90cents that I quickly spent on a chocolate costing that amount. I made it in time for the next flight (on the different airline), we boarded the plane, waited for 2 hrs for the intercom to be fixed, got off & ate dinner (@ 10:00 p.m.), then got back on & left 4.5 hrs later.
My arrival in L.A. & getting another flight (mine had left 6 hrs earlier) went rather smoothly, though I detest that airport—it’s dirty & full of belligerent, rude people. I could immediately tell I was back in the States, the land of the-customer-is-always-right, & having everything available all the time (no missing condiment or coffee extra). I had a 5-hr lay-over, so I had plenty of time to hit the Mexican joint in another terminal! I’d been waiting months for that! 2 more flights & I was home! Yeah! I knew the flight would be bad enough on it’s own, but when I added in all the logistical problems & so much time, it was even worse—I had about 10,000 body complaints (swollen feet, sore knees, etc.), & was simply bored & exhausted.
I’ve definitely had trouble re-adjusting; it’s the worst jet-lag I’ve ever had! I’ve been staying up all night, sleeping in, tired, am getting a cold, just all screwed up. Despite this, it’s great to be home, seeing family & friends. In fact, I’ve already taken a mini-road trip down to KY to see a friend & her new baby.
I think reverse culture shock is always worse than the original—when you’re heading away from home, you expect things to be different & feel weird, but when you’re coming home, you expect it to be just like normal. Nope, it’s been odd to drive on the opposite side of the road (25 yrs of 1 side, 6 mo’s of the opposite, & I’d already changed!). Mom made fun of me for reaching for the gear shift & hitting the blinker or windshield wipers instead, which I didn’t really have a problem w/ in NZ! I don’t think I’ll ever be instinctually, 100% positive that I’m on the correct side of the road, like I was before I left.
Once I was in from my flights, it was breakfast time, so I went for some milk to go w/ my bowl of cereal (not muesli), & was quite taken aback by how large the milk jugs are—it wasn’t just 1 or 2L, in a square container that easily fit into a smaller refrigerator door. In fact, everything in the U.S. seems bigger—stores, parking lots, vehicles, roads, distances, signs, etc. bit overwhelming, even though I’ve lived here before! Now, I’ve got tons of stuff to do before I leave for the summer again, and I’ve been procrastinating, so I’d better go.