Only in America

It's been an eventful fortnight. We spent our first few days with friends and family in North Carolina. It feels very strange to visit the state I spent my entire pre-Korea life in, but it was wonderful to see everyone. We even got to visit the breathtaking Blue Ridge Parkway, reminding me that when it comes to mountains, bigger is not necessarily better. Going back to Charlotte was a mixed bag: it was good to see everyone, and very sad to see how the library system has devolved since I left. My old branch is losing most of its staff in the next round of layoffs. I owe the Public Library of Charlotte the best of my training, and it's unsettling to see the mighty fall.

I moved on to Washington, D.C., where I roomed with my best friend and attended a library conference. While I learned a lot at the conference, there's not much of interest to report. I did meet the Librarian of the Army, whom I was in complete awe of. She started out at Camp Humphries, and had some sage advice for me. Melissa and I painted the town as we normally do. We even spent an evening with an old friend from high school whom we hadn't seen in ten years.

Coming back to the US was not the shock I had planned, but easy and familiar. I had forgotten how nice it is to be able to read all of the signs and understand shopkeepers. When we landed in Dulles, I was immediately struck at how much variety there was. After the homogeneity of Korea, it was shocking to see many types of clothing, suitcases, and even ways to behave in the airport there were. I am in Dupont Circle at the moment, where I feel like a cliché. Everyone here is carrying a book, all the restaurants and shops boast organic food, and there are people sitting alone on park benches reading. There are these marvelous yogurt shops that sell frozen plain yogurt with fruit and granola. I feel like they were made for me! I had not realized how much I missed rock music and street musicians and being able to leave the house in sweats without feeling self conscious. Dupont Circle is admittedly one of the coolest places in the US.

I have never felt like I fit in in my life, and now I find that I am a stereotypical young professional. I guess moving to Korea reminds me of how American I am. I'm going to miss this place