Yes, I'm back in the United States. I arrived in Kansas City late on Wednesday. I think it was well after midnight: before I went to bed, and yet I woke up at 6:20am the next morning. That would have been 5:20am Honduran time, which is pretty much when I get up, so my internal clock was still working.
Later on Thursday morning, I drove back to Lawrence for a 'restoration'. If you have to ask, you don't know and I'm not about to tell you. The interesting thing is that as I was driving from Lawrence to Olathe, in my own car, it felt totally normal. I was prepared for all kinds of reverse culture shock or sensory overload situations, but so far I've had none. In fact, while I was driving, it was almost as if my car was on auto pilot. I mean, the car has made that trip literally thousands of times in my daily commute between Lawrence and Kansas City. Even driving around in Lawrence has not felt strange. Sure, there are new businesses and other businesses that have gone belly up, but I haven't felt out of place. I'm thankful for that.
It has been absolutely fantastic to see so many friends so far. Reconnecting is fun! Last night, several friends hosted a welcome home party for me. I had a wonderful time. Such a diverse group of people showed up and it truly made me feel welcome!
Tomorrow, Monday, I'm having lunch with two friends from college. Jon was, literally, the very first friend I made in Lawrence when we both moved into Hashinger Hall about a million years ago. And, I met Susan the same day. So, the three of us will have lunch and probably laugh hysterically until we're asked to either keep it down or leave the restaurant.
