Back.

It's a bit strange to come home after being gone three weeks. This is the longest I've been away from Michigan at all in the four years that I have lived here, and after sleeping in strange beds in new places almost every night for those three weeks, I was surprised last night to find that it felt even stranger to sleep in my own bed. I woke up disoriented more than once, and it didn't seem completely natural or real to find myself in my room. I guess I just got used to living out of a suitcase and waking up in hostels and B&Bs, and when difference becomes familiar, the familiar feels very different.

But it's good to be back. I made it home to my apartment last night a little after eleven. Jin was more excited to see me than he has ever been and he has been shadowing me ever since. I went to bed later than I should have last night, woke up earlier than I wanted to this morning, and then spent today easing back into seminormal stateside life. I went to the grocery store and drove on the right side of the road with a sense of automaticity that I haven't felt since Jess and I first picked up our Vauxhall Corsa at Kensington. I ate oatmeal instead of a full English breakfast or cornflakes or toast and marmelade. I did my hair properly, with a blow dryer and straightener. I wore clothes that I haven't worn within the past week, pulled from my closet instead of my suitcase. I walked around outside in shorts and short sleeves and flip flops and never once felt damp or cold. I ate a cheeseburger with chips (not crisps) on it, accompanied by french fries (not chips). I almost forgot to turn my phone off when I went to see Up because I forgot what it's like to have a phone to turn off in the first place, and then I really did forget to turn it back on again for the same reason. I did three loads of laundry. I made chocolate chip cookies. I used (and am still using) the internet, on my own computer, with no time limit, for no cost.

It's been a nice transition. And now hopefully I can go to bed tonight and transition into a normal sleeping pattern, too. I have my pictures on my computer now and will see if I can figure out how to post a slideshow or something. And then maybe I'll start blogging about something other than the UK :).