Strange...

At around 9:30 this morning, my feet touched American soil for the first time in over a year. After roughly eighteen hour on a plane (sixteen of which were straight), I would not have cared if my feet were touching Timbucktwo let alone my own country.

For the past six or so hours, other than navigating additional flights and airports, my thoughts and emotions have been all over the board.

It would probably be wise for me to wait to write a blog after my visit home. You know, perhaps when my thoughts are more processed. Or when I have some sleep in my system.

But I guess we can consider this my off the cuff thoughts on returning to the US. Or we could consider it my best attempt to stay awake while I wait a few more hours for my last flight.

Simply put though, my two worlds are so different. It is strange.

While standing in line for customs, I felt overwhelmed by all of the white faces that I saw around me. White not at all being a bad thing. White simply being different than my normal atmosphere.

It was strange to feel overwhelmed by that.

And then I went into the bathroom and I really wanted to brush my teeth, as they were disgusting after such a long journey. I stood at the sink and felt this crisis inside me because I did not have a bottle of water. Without one, I did not know how to go about brushing my teeth.

Then I remembered that water in America is sanitary. That I could turn on the sink and not have to worry about what bacteria would come flowing out.

I have spent a year thinking about the sanitation of every drop of water that I use.

And so it felt strange to have clean, public water available to me at my disposal.

Then I overheard a woman behind me on my last flight saying that she would not wear anything but real diamonds for jewelry. You know, none of that fake crap.

Diamonds? I can count on two fingers how many times I have heard diamonds mentioned in Kenya.

I could rattle off even more examples of weird thoughts and feelings and emotions from my first few hours back in the States.

But like I said, it feels strange. Like one odd collision. That seems like the best way to describe it.

Perhaps I will have more to say after this short break Stateside. Until then, strange, strange, strange.

That is all I can utter.