Home sweet home
Trip Start
Feb 17, 2007
1
48
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Trip End
Apr 13, 2012
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Seattle, Washington
Sunday, November 16, 2008
My first contract finished. Eighteen months is a long time away. I love living and working in Asia...but it's nice to come home. Great western food like cheeseburgers and linguine. Mild temperatures. Day hikes through the Cascades. And a chance to visit old friends.
It's a strange feeling returning to Seattle. Everything is familiar...but it doesn't seem like home anymore. Navigating the city without a car, phone or computer is quite different.
Perhaps the biggest change in a year and a half was the change to electric cars. The traffic is so quiet. No, that's not quite true. After a while I realized they're still gas-fueled vehicles. The drivers just don't honk the horns as rabidly as in Vietnam.
Also, cars that stop for pedestrians. I'm not used to that kind of respect on the street. In Vietnam, the bigger boy wins. Their right-of-way: trucks > cars > motorcycles > pedestrians.
One last shock. Yes, it's a common throughout western culture. I see it everywhere. But something which I had completely forgotten about. And had rarely seen since I left the states. I'm embarrassed to say I found myself staring quite blatantly. Women smoking. Eighteen months away is just too long.
Yes, it's good to come back. I just have to click my heels together more often.
Eric
