The Wittz End: "Foreigners and strangers on earth"

What a treat.

We have been back in the land of America for over a week now. There are many moments we feel out of place. We learned that you no longer have to swipe the Credit card to make purchases because there are touchless devices. There are always new discoveries and observations as we adjust back. We have felt welcomed by getting to see former interns and loved ones- but still hope to connect with those we haven't yet been able to see. We have left Minnesota but will be back the first week of May. We are on our way to Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York. Here is a log of some ways we have felt like foreigners in this country so far.

Bathrooms:

1) The Flush of Death= flushing the toilet on the airplane is quite scary. It is not only loud but the amount of force seems like it can suck a person down into its hole. Needless to say Our girls used it reluctantly.

2) The Surprise of Automatic flushes= when we were on our layover in Amsterdam it was such a treat to have this "Hands off" approach in the bathroom.

3) Toilets Have a Plentiful Amount of Water in the Bowl= we are truly amazed at how full toilets are that it almost frightens us that the toilets are going to overflow.

Traveling in the States:

4) Big Trucks Keep up with Traffic = vehicles have to pass an inspection and if they fail they are not allowed on the road. In Kenya it seems like anything with wheels is allowed on the road. Right before we left we traveled from Mombasa to Nairobi by road and were shocked that many big trucks were moving along at a snails pace.

5) High Stimulation at Gas Station (Petrol Station)= so many choices it is overwhelming!!

6) Can Pay with a Credit Card at Tollbooths= back in the day we had to save up all our coins. We remember when we missed the bucket we had to decide to either get out of the car to retrieve the coins or just count your losses and throw more.

Miscellaneous:

7) Confusion on the Proper Way to Fill up a Dishwasher = let's just say my girls need a training to learn how to do this the right way.

8) Anticipation of Playing in Snow Didn't go as Expected = when the younger two went out to have their first snow ball fight it did not pack well and was like throwing powder. Then the next day there was a dip in temperature and the snow froze and we couldn't figure out how to play in that.

9) Minnesotans are Tough/Crazy= we spotted them walking around outside without coats and some young folks just wearing shorts.

10) Soda Fountain Drinks= our daughters were mesmerized. Free refills and as much or as little ice that you wanted was something they did not know about before.

Playing spoons. We are staying with Jenny and Cullen Hall who are incredibly gracious hosts that not only open up their home for us but also to our friends.