Weird Things about Being Home

To start off with something funny I will write about some of the adjustments I have had between my life as a missionary to my life as a normal person again.

Here are some differences, shockers, or things that I have had to get used to again.

1. People are so tall in the United States. I was so used to being taller than almost everyone and in most cases being extremely taller. In Portugal everyone commented on my height, here no one does. Why cause I am average and so many people are way taller than I am. I went to a concert the other night and I couldn't see over the crowd, it was the weirdest thing. I was used to being able to see my way across the metro and basically in every large crowd.

2.People not telling me their whole life story. I am so used to people telling me every detail about their life story its weird for me when people tell me nothing about their lives. I have to get used to not knowing about every aspect of everyone's life.

3. The houses are very spaced out/far apart here. I thought that maybe a lot of trees were taken out while I was gone, but I soon realized it was me that had changed not the roads. The houses seems so short and wide as I was used to huge apartment buildings every inch apart.

4. I miss juice. The juice in the United States sucks and is expensive. My goodness I miss nectarissimo from Pingo Doce. Wonderful nectar for 89 cents -lots of delicious flavors. Can't beat that.

5.Divorce. This one isn't too funny but it has been one of the hardest things for me coming home. It seems that so many people are getting divorced and it makes me sad to think of all the wonderful couples that are no longer together.

6.Clean air. I like this one - no more inhaling tons of second hand smoke everywhere I go. It's nice. Thank you clean air act!

7.Going to church without responsibility. I get up whenever go to church with no pressure and without worrying about a million and one things. Weird but i guess refreshing. I hope to have a real calling soon when I figure out my life and have a ward that I am consistently attending.

8.TV - why do people watch it. What a time waster.

9.Hayley. It was so weird to me to hear my first name and even harder to introduce myself as Hayley. My third Sunday I opened my mouth to introduced myself when the word Irma started to slip out. I had no idea what to do so I shut myself before looking like a big idiot and went for the approach that if you can't speak english in front of people you shouldn't say anything at all.

Which leads me to my next point.

10. Portuglish - my favorite language and i miss it. Some words are just so much better in one language and mixing the two creates such a better one. It's not that I have forgotten english (that's stupid I hate when people claim that they have "forgotten" English I don't buy that for one second) its just that some words just fit better in Portuguese and then I have to find the second best suiting word in English and the process is a little slow.