Things expats love and hate about returning to the United States

Wed, 03/07/2012 - 23:00 — Anonymous by Jack BoulwareYou've been away from
home. A week, a month, or even longer. And now you're back in the United
States. Does it seem a little weird? Relax, it's perfectly normal to
experience a few psychological bumps upon re-entry. Here's a quick list of
things to look forward to –- or not.   We may not like the numbers, but
we're glad to see the units. It's great to come home to: Gallons and miles,
instead of fumbling to translate into liters and kilometers. The United
States is the only industrialized nation that ignores the metric system,
thank you very much. But think about it -– a foot was originally the length
of a human foot. Why change? It was good enough for the ancient Egyptians,
right? Colonel Sanders, we missed you. The real versions of gut-bomb
franchise food, instead of the overseas knockoffs that don't come close to
the official recipe. How refreshing to have a real Pizza Hut pizza. Real
Burger King. Real KFC. Even though it makes you sick, and strange fluid comes
out your pores, it's still nice to have the real thing.  America-sized
legroom. Cars, airplanes, boats, trains, buses, theaters, restaurants, your
own house. It's like coming home to a luxurious biosphere designed for
giants. You can stretch forever. English-speaking natives. It's fantastic
to travel and communicate with other cultures, learn a few essential phrases
in the local dialect. But when you return, it's actually kind of nice to
just say, "Tall Americano with three shots and two percent milk foam,"
without gesticulating like a bad mime. read more