4:53

hi i’m home and i’m awake at 4:53 AM.

the traveling was ok. i didn’t sleep much on the flights but it was probably for the best, because then once i got home i could sleep from 10 PM – 7 AM easily. the next day i let myself have a 2 hour afternoon nap but that was it… then i got sleepy at 9 last night. except for waking up now i’m not doing too bad. it’s mostly my stomach that’s confused… i’m not hungry at all during "breakfast" and "lunch" (japan sleeping hours) but at dinner i get hungry for "breakfast" and i woke up really hungry just now ("dinner").

the customs form asked me for my "country of residence" and i didn’t know what to put   ???

the cats are really happy to see me. nonstop bugging.

i went to target and the grocery store. honestly it was a little overwhelming. last summer i was so happy to go to the grocery store… i guess a lot has changed between now and then. last summer it seemed like paradise, this time it’s just confusng and overwhelming. too big, too cold, too many choices. why are there so many damn choices? is that really necessary? i had to buy some bread for my dad to make egg sandwiches and i had no idea what kind to get. and i kept looking for a half-size thing like the ones in japan but i guess there aren’t any. i’m culturally confused now and i don’t know how to process it.

driving is a trip as always. i do okay enough when i’m on normal streets, following other cars and there are clear lane markings or central dividers or whatever. parking lots trip me the fuck up though, i have to second guess myself about 5 times before i can pull out and be sure i’m driving on the right side. and of course i flipped the windshield wipers a number of times while trying to signal. and my left hand reaches out for the stick to shift from park/reverse/drive only there’s nothing there so it just jams into the door/window. sigh. and oh my god rights on red! that is crazy.

the reverse culture shock is fairly strong. it’s been stronger every time i come back… i notice so many more things each time. i kind of feel like how a japanese tourist might feel; noticing these little things that americans are totally unaware of. it’s a nonstop running log in my head of everything, i only wish i had ways to jot it all down before i forget.

i have plenty of things to do. today i think my projects are going to be emptying my suitcases and going to microcenter to get the rest of my PC parts, then mailing in all the rebates. i guess i should also start looking at cell phone plans? and i will probably go out to eat with my parents for dinner… mexican! most likely.