It's been over a month since my last post, meaning its been a month back in good ol' America. The adjustment really hasn't been that bad, though coming back to Penn State was more weird than being back in America in general.
My flight back went smoothly, though it was long (10 hours, stupid jet stream). I watched three movies and an episode of Big Bang Theory because of course, I was having trouble sleeping on the flight since it was during the day. It was a pretty smooth flight though, so I have no complaints.
The Philadelphia airport was a bit of a nightmare, as I had to wait in an hour long line for customs. I busied myself by talking to another student who studied in the Netherlands and a couple from South Carolina. They all had connecting flights, which they missed because of the line. That's stressful. Customs wasn't actually that bad once we got through the line - I was able to get blood orange juice and wine into the country with no problems. I guess its just if I had a lot of it there may have been a problem. What was a problem was trying to get my three suitcases and backpack to where my dad was waiting with no help. That was interesting. I did finally make it, after probably making a fool of myself a few times. My first experience back in the United States was an Outback dinner with my dad. :)
I decided to update this with a U.S. post today because I went to the Global Programs rally earlier today. Penn State Global programs has a rally every semester for everyone who came back from studying abroad. It was really enlightening, even talking about how it can help us to get jobs and such. Rachel and I were talking to other students about their experiences and giving feedback to the new advisors (yes, again). I think I may consider getting involved in some of the stuff they offer. I would like to be able to tell students what its like, you know? I feel like it would be really helpful for some. We'll see.
So, yeah. It's been a little weird, and I've realized how much I've missed some American foods (steak, burgers, cheezits, etc.). I do miss how Italian food wasn't so salty and full of preservatives like it is here, but what can you do? The adjustment getting back wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it's different for everyone. Sometimes it feels completely normal to be back, and then sometimes its weird because I realize I haven't done something in a long time, or haven't been somewhere for a while, or something is new and I didn't realize it was there until now (Urban Outfitters downtown? what?). It's still a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.
