Culture Shock

So I'm back in the States for a brief vacation until the 19th of August. For anyone curious, My phone number while here is 608-460-9390. Feel free to call!

My visit in the States has been very relaxing for the most part. I'm in Madison, WI, and spend quite a bit of time in Coffee Shops and just sitting around. I have to say, though, that culture shock has definitely affected me here. Just my day of getting here was very odd, because I woke up in one culture and went to bed in another. I wrote a list during the of oddities that happened through the course of my day travelling from my Guatemalan town, through airports, and to Madison, WI. Below is a list of things that struck me as strange in the course of the day:

• A person speaking English to me in the airport, without first asking me if I speak English in Spanish.
• While buying Cuban rum at Duty Free, saleswoman telling me "Its only $8.00," which is more than I spend on weekly groceries.
• Speaking with an English speaker that spoke no Spanish
• Speaking with a woman who recently adopted a Guatemalan toddler
• Immaculate Floors in public spaces
  
• How much more space airplane seats have than Guatemalan public transportation
• That everyone has a sexy new cell phone or some other techie toy
• That no one questioned me bringing tortillas and tamales through.
• Upon seeing the nonresidents customs line being shorter, the American saying, "wish I was an immigrant."
• That nobody working on the ground for American Airlines could speak Spanish
• Nobody saying "you're welcome" -- ever
• How tiny US coins are
• How silly gringos in suits look siting on the floor in airports
• Every time I hear English, I assume I know the speaker
• Not being treated special because I'm white

That's it for now -- call me if you want to talk on American phone rates!