Re-entry

I'm now living back in the States after 7 years of living on a ship mainly in West Africa. My last week on the ship was filled with busyness of getting rid of stuff and packing. It all came down to two suitcases, okay three suitcases since I sent some things home with Jim. I liked the idea of not having a lot of stuff, but now I'm back in the land of "stuff" and that's an adjustment, but best left for a future post.

I've been back almost a week and haven't gone through any major reversal culture shock yet. Maybe it's because I've kept busy with planning my wedding.

So, here's a few observations I've had while adjusting back to living in a developed country:

1- I have to carry a purse now. A backpack just doesn't work in this culture. So, I have my new "re-entry purse". Any woman returning to the States must have one, right Stephanie?

2- I need to buy shoes. I came home with the shoes on my feet, Reef flip-flops. Fortunately it's summer time in Florida so I can get away with it some of the time. In Africa I had my "on ship" flip-flops and my "off ship" flip-flops; didn't need more than that!

3- It's much easier being a vegetarian in the US. I can buy just about any fruit or vegetable I want but it comes at a price. The avocados half the size of those in Liberia are about $2 while the large Liberian ones are 50 cents. I haven't even checked the price of cucumbers and I won't since that was the staple on the ship.

Right now I'm still trying to adjust back to this time zone but hope to continue to post on what's going on in W. Africa and with Mercy Ships.