Re-patriation, in brief

 Here are a few personal thoughts and observations, unfiltered, from our visit to the US this year.  Take them for whatever they are worth, whoever you are:

American money felt fake to me; the bills were too large, and the coins too small (and too light).

American houses looked huge, and it was strange to see building made from something other than concrete.

The mere size of everything in America was overwhelming, and sometimes alarming.

So many trees, especially in the city!

When visiting Baltimore, a city that is 60% African-American, most Americans probably think to themselves, "Wow, there are a lot of black people here!"  The thought actually went through my head, "Wow, there are a lot of white people here."

It felt weird seeing so many white faces.

Americans are loud.  [Guilty as charged!]

Americans have a lot of stuff.

Using my left hand felt weird and made me feel self-conscious, so I just used my right hand for everything.

American drivers don't share the road very well.

Americans want to do everything themselves.

Americans don't think very much about honor/shame in conversation.

I found myself communicating in an African way, especially in avoiding the appearance of shame.

Americans don't smile or hug as much as Africans.

At O'Hare airport in Chicago, on the way back to Africa, I heard my friend Zachs (a Nigerian) speaking his African accent, and I immediately thought, "Ah! These are my people!"

Flying into O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg felt like coming to "my airport."

I had struggled to adjust back to American traffic/driving, but returning to South African driving was natural and automatic.

Returning to Swaziland felt familiar, but not quite like coming home.