… picture taken in Graz, Austria...

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Proud to be an American

Oh it feels good to be an American… especially in America! 

Mike and I have been back in the United States for about a week now and I don't think we have stopped smiling. For example; It just feels so good to be able to read in English and talk to people so freely. Hearing English spoken all around us is a delight.

We took the route of Vienna to London, then London to Chicago by plane back to the US. After clearing customs in Chicago, Mike's parents picked us up at the airport and we drove the last 2.5 hours to Madison, Wisconsin. We arrived in Piedmont Court about 11pm, (6am Austria time.) After ~16 hours of traveling we were exhausted and went straight to bed. Because of the time difference I first woke up at 4am, then 30 minutes later was able to sleep until 6am. Mike and I were wide awake with an "American Breakfast" on our minds. "The Original House of Pancakes" was the destination this morning, Mike's parents also joined us. We ordered a meal unlike anything you could get in Europe; hash browns, eggs, bacon and mouth watering pancakes. We also all shared bottomless coffee and great conversation. We couldn't have asked for a better first morning in America.

Later that day, Barb and Dean needed to get a few things at the grocery store. Mike and I volunteered, jumping at the chance to visit an American grocery store again. This was a much tougher task than originally anticipated. (On the menu this night was enchiladas)…when selecting tortillas we had like 20 options varying in brand, type and size. (Compared to any place in Europe where a person gets 2 choices: flour or corn.) Finding the rest of the ingredients were the same difficulty. It was very overwhelming with the many choices of basic grocery items.

The next night we were able to finally get our "Buffalo Wild Wings" fix that we had been waiting for for several months. It was even more delicious than expected. The combination of Honey BBQ Chicken wings, ranch (fat free) and a beer to wash them down was spectacular.

And everyday after that we have happily enjoyed American pastimes; shopping at the mall, visiting with family/ friends, ordering chinese, eating pizza, watching shows/ movies on a TV screen, etc.

I feel overall that coming back to America was appreciated greater than when we left it initially it. A person really notices all of the luxuries after being gone awhile. 

Such as:
  • Bigger roads with adequate parking
  • Large selection at the grocery store (this is a little unnecessary, but still nice to have available) During our first grocery store trip, we made sure to get the following items that weren't offered in Europe to us:
    • Chocolate Syrup
    • 'Swiss Miss' Chocolate milk
    • SKIM milk with Vitamin D fortification
    • Captain Crunch
    • Sun chips
    • Honey Mustard
    • Bagels, 100% whole grain
    • Cherry Coke Zero
  • Longer store hours-Places are open over lunch, later and on Sundays!
  • Target and Wal-mart!
  • Better Dog and smoking restrictions, (I really didn't like having a dog or smoke around when eating at a restaurant or in the mall.)
  • Country music on the radio
  • Hooded sweatshirts, sweatpants and tennis shoes
  • American Restaurants -Buffalo Wild Wings, Quiznos, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Texas Roadhouse, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, House of Pancakes, etc.
These are just a few things I could think of off the top of my head. 

Obviously, Mike and I had an amazing time in Europe, filled with many memorable and educating opportunities and experiences that we will cherish forever. However...

"There is no place like home",  
In conclusion, Mike and I have never been more 
proud to be Americans
:) 

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