Welcome Back!!!

AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!  Ok, maybe it wasn’t THAT shocking, but to be crowded by people in a tram at the airport was a little overwhelming.  I’m back in the U.S. and can now report that I’m adjusting just fine.  HOWEVER I am in the mountains at the moment and not around millions of people just yet.  My first night in Virginia was spent in a WalMart, luckily not in the middle of the day but late at night when no people were present.

I hate to say it, but I was actually happy to see so much STUFF and went straight to the clothing section, which I’ve never done in my LIFE.  I scored a smaller bathing suit and a top and some shorts then got rushed out of there since we were picking up groceries.  Oh, then I was able to get my Dunkin Donuts, Wendy’s cheeseburger, fries and frostie.  Wow, that tasted good, but the fries seemed really salty to me this time around.

Today, mom and I went for a walk around the lake by her house and we made an animal rescue!  We were walking along and mom noticed something on the ground.  She goes, “What’s that!?”  I immediately recognized it as a tiny turtle!  His little shell was muddy and dry and he wasn’t moving.  My first question was, “Is he DEAD!?!?”

I picked him up and he didn’t move for a second, then I saw his front foot move and I said, “NO!!! He’s NOT!” But he still seemed out of place up from the lake on a trail and cold.  I cupped my hands around him to warm him up and we looked for a sunny spot to let him sit near the water and warm up.  Nothing good was available at first, but then we found where a tiny stream led down to the lake had a bright spot so I walked him down there and sat him in the sun.

We watched in suspense, waiting to see what he’d do.   I put him in the chilly water to see if he wanted a drink and he didn’t move.  Then I moved him back to the leaves in the sun and waited.  Before we knew it, he practically ran downstream, bonking his little head along the way.  Then he splashed into the lake and sank to the bottom!  YAY!!!  I don’t know how he stood that cold water, but other turtles were in the lake as well so I guess he was ok.  So yet another animal rescue on U.S. soil!  That made us feel good.  We walked the rest of the lake and headed back to the car (a CAR!?!?!) and had lunch back at home.

So the strange thing here which I noticed my first night was the SILENCE.  I’m so used to hearing frogs, dogs, crickets, god knows what else chirping or barking at night and falling asleep to it all.  Here…NOTHING.  I got nothin’.  It’s so quiet that I actually can hear a high pitch squealing, which I’m SURE is from my days of standing in front of Marshall stacks in small clubs while people (including myself) head banged to thrash metal.  I got a little misty and missed my ‘new’ home in Costa Rica.  But sleeping in a comfortable bed, without sheets feeling sticky and moist was a nice change.  No longer having to worry about closing up the mosquito net or wondering what was outside my door when I had to go to the bathroom was a welcoming feeling.  Yeah…I could get used to this (again)!  But not so quick…I’m still going back in a couple of weeks.

Mom had remodeled ‘my’ bathroom recently and the other disturbing thing was that it was ALL WHITE!!!  Oh NOOOOOOOOO!!!  Now I’m paranoid about getting everything dirty.  But hey, that’s what bleach is for, right?  I feel like I’m in an expensive spa every time I go in there, but again…it sure is nice.

I’m appreciating the things I’ve always taken for granted.  Food tastes better, I’m stuffing my face when I’m not hungry and even Walmart clothes look good to me.  Well, sort of good.  Better than what I’ve been seeing, I should say.  I’m going to enjoy my time here while I can because it could be another 6 months or more before I return.