Internet is a big deal on the race… you don't get it that often and when you do you need to use your time wisely. Once at home, you will need to remember that you are more than likely in a wi-fi zone and can use the internet as much as you would like… also…people around you who are using the internet…this is OK…they will not take up your internet speed by skyping or chatting on facebook. You no longer need to ask people not to skype while you are trying upload a picture.
When you are served water in a person's home…or even in your own home…it is no longer necessary for you to ask if the water is safe to drink. Fortunately water out of the tap WITH ICE is perfectly OK to drink and you can even eat the ice cubes as well.
While at McDonald's or any other place where you are allowed to grab your own napkins…dont get super excited about this opportunity…it is no longer necessary to stow away as many as you can incase you are in a situation with a squatty potty and no toilet paper.
It is also no longer necessary to cart around a head lamp in your purse or backpack just incase a power outage occurs while grocery shopping at the local supermarket. This is an unlikely occurrence and you can rest assured that there are generators to back up the power in most places.
When you are home I would encourage you to wear a different outfit and dare I say…a different pair of underwear every day because you no longer live out of a backpack…you have more clothes than 4 t shirts and a pair of jeans.
The sink or bathtub is no longer a place for doing laundry because the washer and dryer are 10 feet away from you. It is no longer necessary to fill the sink full of water and soak clothes for 30 minutes. You may get strange looks from your parents.
When it comes time to take a bath/shower… You don't need to bring several buckets along with you or wear shower shoes. The water will come from the spout or shower head and continue to flow for the entire time you are showering or bathing.
If you would like to watch a movie you have several options for this entertainment. You can leave your laptop closed because this is no longer a source from which you must watch the same 5 movies over and over again. It is also no longer necessary to find a splitter for headphones if you want to share in this entertainment.
While shopping or browsing at a store or the supermarket…you do not need a calculator or a converter on your phone because you are now back into American currency…you do not need to figure out what the price of something will be with the currency you have in your pocket.
When needing to get in touch with somebody over something important or even to just chat…you may use the house phone or you may even have your own cell phone. You do not need to ask permission to use the team phone anymore or worry about how long the conversation ends because of minutes you are using up…feel free to call and chat.
When traveling in a vehicle there will be a seat or each person and also seat belts which you can use. You will no longer have to share a seat or have someone sit in your lap because 20 people are piling into one vehicle and it will no longer be required for your entire team/family to pile into a truck bed with everything you own to get to your destintion…in fact this is illegal in the US.
Feel free to have conversations with people that you meet..they will most likely speak your same language and don't fret if you have no translator to interpret what is happening in every situation…you will understand and feel comfortable in majority of situations.
One last thing you can be aware of once re-entering the American society…
Don't feel offended when you attend church, if they do not ask your come up and give a sermon…tell a 5 minute testimony or bless every single person individually in the congregation… you can rest assured that when attending a church service you are just attending and you are there to hear the word…no pressure.
Try to enjoy re-entry and don't put pressure on yourself to get back in the swing of things…it may take a few weeks.
