I can’t believe a year passed that quickly. It seems like only yesterday that we were nervously boarding our flight to Puerto Vallarta. Were we making the right decision? Apparently so!
And yet 18 hours after we left Buenos Aires we found ourselves in the scorching, dry, heat of Phoenix, Arizona. This is, of course, after we made a beeline for tacos al pastor on our layover in the Mexico City airport.
A girl has got to have her priorities, right? (And I wonder why I’m pleasantly plump.)
We had no objective in Phoenix. Actually, we didn’t want to play tourist at all. Our purpose: To spend time with our friends Nena and Shane (you have seen them in previous Arizona posts) and to become hermits while adjusting back to our American lives.
And being hermits we were. Actually, I’m a bit frightened at how well we pulled off 5 days of not really leaving the house besides foraging for food. But you know what? The buffer in between returning to Austin was much needed. Nena and Shane were just so damn awesome about handling our crazies and just letting us be.
I did learn something interesting though. Roaming through a Target Greatland after spending so much time in third world countries is just plain frightening. There were so many times we had to retreat back home from just being overwhelmed. So many choices.
You should have seen the panic when Shaun and I couldn’t decide between 25 different types of butter and 13 different types of macaroni and cheese. Do we really need that many? Apparently so says the store authorities on the matter.
Also, apparently they carry Inca Kola. Yeah. That one threw us off.
Oh, and getting behind the wheel of a car after not driving for a year is much easier than you think. Our Subaru WRX was just as smooth and quick as it was before. My clutch foot eased in like I hadn’t skipped a beat. Shaun was in heaven driving his car that I’m pretty sure he likes more than me.
So what did we do during those 5 days?
Sleep. Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Play board games and Mario Kart.
And we were good with that. We were just trying to not think about the fact we were heading into the Lions Den in a few days – heading back home to Austin, Texas where things were on the verge of boiling over.
I went back through the US for a few weeks at the end of my RTW before going back to Germany, and somehow that worked as a good buffer to ease back into life in Germany. I agree with you about the shopping though, odd how your perspective changes.
Welcome to Phoenix! I couldn’t agree with you more about the Mexican food here, and the Vietnamese is decent too. Safe travels!
Being with really good friends made our transition so much easier. I couldn’t imagine dealing with some of my family BS right away to be honest.
We usually visit Phoenix once a year or so to see our friends but alas, they are moving to Canada so I’m not sure when we will be returning. Granted, this also means I get to visit Canada?
Sounds like the most perfect 5 days!
I remember you saying how important it was to have these “buffer” days! So glad you had the time to spend with good friends. Relaxing, eating, drinking, sleeping, and laughing — no better way to reenter the US.
Darn, wish I would have known you guys were in my backyard, would have loved to have met and hosted you guys…next time for sure! Followed you all around your travels! Welcome home man.
Oh I understand how overwhelmed you guys were! I often wish supermarkets in Santiago had MORE choice, but the ones in the US are just too much.
Sounds like you are having so much fun back to your new home place. I know you’ll gonna enjoy and have more fun in Phoenix! Welcome and be happy!
They were perfect days in their own way. We needed them badly.
I’m glad we did too. If I had to confront coming home right away, I think I may have gone postal.
Sorry Lori! All our “current” updates are mainly on Twitter and Flickr. I think the only way people can kinda track us is through our “Where Are We?” page. AND I would have loved to grab a beer at least!
I thought I wanted more choice until I almost went into tears picking butter. We even swapped between the mac and cheese and butter (Shaun thought it would be an easy choice) and we both sat there stumped.