So, you are a visitor in your own country....

For the last two weeks I was travelling back in the US. It’s a bit strange being a visitor to one's own country after being away long enough to get adjusted to a different culture and ways of doing things. For instance, traveling on the right side again… sure it came back easily when I was driving, but I still found myself walking on the left… perhaps because I am a lefty. I digress. I had a fun time viewing the US in comparison to where I've been for a while.

Firstly, Americans ARE friendly, even in NYC. Everyone I came in contact with was really helpful and nice, especially at the JFK airport, which coincidentally could benefit from some better signage for those of us who don’t know our way around like we do the back of our hands. Going back was great, because I immediately felt "at home". It's as though I know how to navigate life better when I'm there. Certainly I never felt like a nomad while I was there for the two weeks, though I technically was since I never stayed in one place more than 3 nights.

So I arrived in NYC after a 7.5 hour flight from Perth to Hong Kong, followed by a 2 hour layover and ~15 hour flight from Hong Kong to JFK. My dad picked me up at the airport, which was so super. We talked about work and about planning my mother's surprise 50th birthday party and it was as though I never left. Even though I was exhausted, we went to my brother's house for lasagna dinner, which was compliments of his wife and so very yummy (!), then home for me to sleep like a log. The next two days I spent with the family in Albany celebrating my brother's graduation from the NYS police academy. I was not originally going to attend, but requests for various job interviews affording me an expenses paid trip to the US allowed me to plan my trip a bit early so I could go. My brother was totally psyched when I called to tell him! The shield and graduation ceremonies were so great, and seeing my brother in uniform was totally surreal. My little bro', all grown up now. How proud I am of him.

I then flew to Portland (from Albany via D.C – yes, there was no direct flight!). I had anticipated driving from Albany to Portland before heading further north for a what ended up being a really amazing interview for an academic position, but I was afraid of falling asleep at the wheel. Flying was so worth it. After said really productive and great interview (cross your fingers!), I drove to Portland in a snowstorm for four hours. I was so happy to get the chance to experience winter in the northeast, especially the clean, crisp, fresh air smelling, white of a snow storm. Ah, contentment. I wish there had been time to snow-shoe. There was time for an amazing meal at Walter's in downtown Portland (go – you won't regret it!), a pedicure, tea and breakfast, and – the best of all - long talks with my pal while nestled under a blanket wearing my new cashmere scarf in her really cozy apartment by the beach, populated with tea tins, myriads of books and crafts, a feather bed, and that homey warmth of winter.

Following this was a very long and tiring trip from Portland to Boulder, which consisted of flights to NYC and Chicago and an obscenely long wait thereafter for the shuttle bus from Denver to Boulder. All of the time changes and not having completely adjusted to US time anyhow made me super crabby. But, the next morning… I had a wonderful breakfast at Lucille's on 14th St. (go – you won't regret it!). After waking up at 3 am, I was starving, so by the time I made it to Lucille's at 10 am, my eyes were much larger than my stomach. It was heavenly, you might gather that from the photos. I had fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, black tea spiced with cinnamon and cloves. The beignets were recommended so I got them, never having them before. I ordered eggs over medium with grits and a buttermilk biscuit. You can see in the photo that is a lot of food (not to mention various types of hot sauce!). I have never had a beignet before, and it was almost sinful to eat such a thing for breakfast. I had no idea they would give me 4 of them. I only ate one, my egg, tea and juice, and finished half of the grits. I have to say, the rest of the beignets served as great snacks at 5 am when I needed to calm my stomach growling after being awake for a bit. Shame on me for starting my day with a powdered sugar breakfast! But, I think it was the beignets that made my academic position interviews in Boulder pretty successful, which is really exciting. It’s a big place and very different in culture and size compared to anywhere else I have interviewed, but we'll see.

There ended my whirlwind tour of the US, and I was then on my way home to Perth via L.A. and Hong Kong immediately after teaching an undergrad class as part of the interview process. Teaching the class was really fun, I kind of like standing in front of the classroom looking around and talking about stuff I like. I think I also got them to laugh a bit too. It’s a good opportunity to work on material for my stand—up comedy routine. I hope my interviewers didn’t think I was being too cheeky. After an exhausting trip back, too many movies on the various airplanes and a short trip into the city of Hong Kong during my 10 hour layover (yikes!) I am back. It’s a long trip, but after you do it a couple of time, you get used to it. Though I do have to say I went on a bit of a duty-free shopping binge in the Hong Kong airport because I was mad at having left my neoprene computer case and fancy new travel alarm clock at the hotel and losing my favorite fleece jumper. I bought myself a LeSportsac handbag and I felt MUCH better afterwards. (Though it was not a real impulse buy because I had been looking at it for a while and actually left the store three times before deciding to go back to get it. What the weirdo is wrong with me?!)

Overall, I have returned feeling refreshed. I feel great about my interviews and will just be waiting for calls (cross your fingers). I cannot tell you how excited I am to be thinking about the future, my life as a professional, getting a home that will have my own stuff in it (namely my books, plants, crafts, adequate kitchen facilities), adding a pet to my little family… It's time to move on, the possibilities are endlessly exciting.

But before I go…I can’t leave you without a little ranting. Coincidentally, I picked up the ranting again on US soil. I still maintain Australians are too nice and don’t rant nearly enough. Ok, here goes.

One - Food down under has no taste. Is it the water (horribly flavored with chlorine and fluorine and other treatment poisons)? Is it just bland? I ate so many great meals back in the States. My taste buds are currently negotiating with my inner chef, who can hopefully agree to the terms of the contract for my remaining month here and stave off a walk-out. Man alive, food here sucks. Though in some defense, I have gotten a bit lazy in the kitchen... but that's not excuse enough for everything!

Two - Have you ever wondered why one can never seem to get enough fiber from airplane food? That is, if they feed you at all – which they do on intercontinental flights. I got two square meals and plenty of snacks on each long flight from Perth to the US. Anyhow, is it too much to ask to get some vegetables with my pasta or rice (and no, potatoes do not count!)? I know why they are stingy on fiber. They don’t want you to have to use the facilities too (or would that be 'two' – I know – terribly unfunny) much. I mean, really, I don’t want to clean up after some of my fellow passengers, either. You know - the ones who whiz on the floor or don’t know what a trash can is. Raised by wolves, the whole lot of them.

Three- What is it about in-flight movies and TV? Is it a coincidence that they show those feel-good romantic comedies? Is there some unwritten rule about indoctrination of the airline-confined with love nearly lost, or parent-child, or other uber-sappy themes? Not gonna lie to you here, confinement lead to insanity, which is why I sat though (AND even liked at the time!) Martian Child, The Nanny Diaries, Game Plan, Serendipity, and America's Sweethearts. Long flights are evil for the mind! I must admit, though, I do love John Cusack – which even I know is odd, but you cannot argue with the movie 'Say Anything'. There will never be anything as romantic as John Cusack standing outside of your window in the rain with a boom box blasting "In Your Eyes". No, nothing ever can approach that romanticism, never ever. And there you have it.

Stay tuned for a post about my short jaunt in Hong Kong.

(Coincidentally, I also have a soft spot for other weirdo actors like Nicholas Cage, Steve Buscemi, and Christopher Walken, but not in romantic roles - that is just plain eww!)