Day 15

Ok, I’ve been awake 27 hours and I want to take a shower before I go to bed but I don’t want to forget my first thoughts upon entering the U.S.

We landed in Detroit with 30 minutes to get through customs and to the other side of the airport for our flight to Omaha.  I told my classmate, “Yea, we get to talk to people who speak English!”  The guy behind the counter heard me and thought he’d be funny to say, “Nihao!” and “Shea Shea.”  I just want to get through to Omaha and while he was funny, I really just wanted him to look at my passport and let me in!  He turned to his partner and said, “I think Shea Shea means Thank You.”  I told him, “Yes, ‘Shea Shea’ means ‘Thank You’” while inside I was thinking, “Get on with this!!”

I got through customs and ran in my stocking feet to the check in gate.  I was the first to arrive so I ran up to the counter to let them know a group of us just landed and were making our way through customs and needed to be on this flight.  She looked at me and said, “The flight doesn’t leave until 7:55.”  I replied, “Yes, I know but it says to board at 7:15” (and it was currently 7:20 pm).  She looked at me and said with an attitude of annoyance, “I haven’t called anyone to board yet.”  I replied, “OK.”  Then I found a place to stand where everyone else could see to meet me.

The “crowd” at Eppley didn’t seem crowded at all after being in China.  When people bumped into each other they said, “Excuse me.” The air was so fresh smelling.  There was no one honking their horns.  The cars waited for us to cross the street.  No one had pottied on the sidewalk.  The air was so easy to breath and we got out of town so easily.  Granted it was 10 pm, but even rush hour traffic won’t seem so bad for awhile!

Carrie was a great roommate and I appreciated not being alone while in a foreign country, but I haven’t had a roommate in 14 years.  First, it was nice to have a full size tub and shower.  Then, it was nice to come out of my bathroom in just my underwear and dress in my bedroom without thinking about who might see me.  I know at one point April came out of her bathroom to find 4 of us in her dorm room.  The comradery was nice, but I appreciate my own apartment with multiple rooms here at home.