Saturday, May 19, 2012

an epilogue:

i've been back in the states for a week now, and i must say - even though it has been a little hectic, running back and forth between new jersey and boston - it is great to be home.  on my first day back, i felt like buddy the elf when he came to new york city for the first time, a stranger in a foreign land, absolutely amazed at everything i saw.  i wasn't exactly a stranger to america, but there were definitely a lot of things that made me gasp with excitement a little, things i had totally forgotten about.  there is green grass and trees everywhere i go - the streets smell like flowers, not sh*t - the air is clean and i can breath without constantly inhaling cigarette smoke - temperature is measured in fahrenheit and time is told with a twelve hour clock, not 24 - tap water is free, and it tastes good - american soap actually makes me feel clean - dryers exist, so now i can actually wash my sweatshirt more than once a month without worrying about having something to wear while it dries - i can put my purse on the back of my chair at restaurants without getting robbed - stores sell cheerios, peanut butter, and oreos - people speak english (obviously) and i know what's going on ALL the time.  don't get me wrong, living in italy for four months was amazing.  it was a once in a lifetime experience i will never forget.  but if there's one thing i've learned from it all, it is that i don't ever really want to leave this country again.  sure, things might be a little screwed up from time to time, but once i took a step away from it for a little while, i realized how simple and easy things can be here.

i love america.

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