U.S.A! U.S.A! It's been a while since I've cheered for the home team, but I have to admit I miss it more and more as my years abroad start to stack up. This month I was stateside for the first time in a year and well, I sure as hell appreciated the luxury and creature comforts in the day-to-day American lifestyle.
First off: HOT WATER and WATER PRESSURE! Goodbye bucket showers, can't honestly say I've missed them... Targets, supermarkets, and one-stop shop all convenience stores ROCK compared to the Asian habit of chasing yourself silly 'round a city just to get to that one street of electronics, that one street of car parts and/or that one section of town where all the cheap shoes hide in dark alleyways...Picking up a phone and being able to order food any given time of day, night or ungodly morning hour, and better yet having it delivered to your doorstep! And...this is number one, right here...WINE. Red wines, White wine, Pink wine, (Blue wine? I swear I saw it!) all for $12 or less! The closest thing I've had to wine in a long time was the dangerously expired box of grape juice I drank 3 months ago...
There are things that also upset me; the downfall of the American dream is that people really tend to live beyond their means: expensive apartments/mortgage payments on top of having a 2 car household; shopping habits and fashion trends people feel the need to follow; numerous credit cards, bills and loans with 10 year payment plans; Ipods/Ipads, smartphones, smart tv's, people are more plugged in to electronics than ever before and as the outsider looking in, it sure as hell looks like Disney's "Wall-E" wasn't too far-fetched after all...I don't know, it just feels like the average American falls into severe debt sometime in their late 20's and literally spends the rest of their life paying for the lifestyle.
This is not a rant post however, so let's proceed to the good stuff: the stuff of family! Allow me to introduce the latest addition to the Langley family, the twin girls Sarah and Sophia now already 16 months old! They walk, they talk (in their own dialect of course), they spit and then laugh at themselves afterwards...in other words, they are precious perfection! We've had some great outings to the zoo, to the neighborhood parks and spent most of our time enjoying the excitement found in my Mom's backyard, decked out with: slides, water games, climbing domes, tree swings and hammock.
Not to be outdone by the girls, the boys (Cooper, twins Cole and Beck) are also growing bigger and stronger and more rambunctious every day! They're definitely boys' boys, into trains, loud noises, and superhero costumes! They're starting to recognize Tia Steffy now, and I love the way Cooper calls me to ask for candy. (I'm an enabler, just like my Momma!)
Going home was exactly the kind of recharge I needed. I was starting to feel really rundown, emotionally exhausted and physically weak from my recent bout of sickness at Baan Unrak. I felt zapped with love when I went home, so thank you for everyone welcoming me back with open arms! I had brief, but meaningful catch ups with my best friends and have made re-connections in my home life I was in need of...and now however sad I am to leave my family and friends after such a brief visit, I feel ready to go back.
I have just flown back into Thailand (with Mom who's visiting for one month!) and with my newly expanded waistband, I feel more refreshed and eager to get back to work with those incredible kids than ever before!
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