Stateside

I'm back in the US!
It is really nice to be back, which I think has repressed any sadness about leaving Germany for a while. It's interesting being back in the country I've talked about so much over the past year and seeing if my memories lived up to reality.  Though I was expecting the cultural differences, (in fact, I was just giving a presentation on many of them,) somehow they still really came as a surprise to me.
I'm sure that little things will occur to me in the coming weeks, but some of the main things I've noticed are:
* Small talk!  I love it!  It is so nice to just say things to strangers, add a few extra words at the cash register, smile at people, say thank you to people, ask people how they are.  It just has a more relaxed and friendly feel.

* The space.  The architectural landscape around me has such a different feel.  Above, you can see my street in Hannover.  Lots of tall apartment buildings (vs. rows of lower houses with yards inbetween), less grass, everything packed together. To the right, an example of single homes, which still seem more compact. It seems like space is much more efficiently used in Germany.  I was shocked how much empty space we passed by from the airport to home. Pittsburgh seems to have a lot more empty lots and unused space, and everything is more spread out.  I do really like having yards, but I've realized just how much a luxury it is for us to live in single houses with yards.  I can also see a lot more sky here since there are fewer taller apartment buildings and I've realized there are a lot more poles here.  Also, America, stop building ugly block buildings.
* Giant sizes.  I thought the shampoo and toothpaste at my house was extra jumbo sized, but actually they're normal.
* The birds are different here.  I was excited to see a cardinal again.
* The heat.  I went from high 60s/low 70s to low/high 80s.
* English.  The first day, I still had a lot of German in my head, but  now it's definitely back to English.  Hearing English around me is still a little funny though.  I'm fine in conversations, but hearing regular passersby on the street open their mouths is a little weird.  Not just because of English itself, but the way it sounds.  Not everyone talks news anchor English, so it's interesting to hear all the other "sounds" of English again, from Pittsburghese to the slight valley girl/bro inflections of younger people to ebonics.

Otherwise, it feels quite normal to be back, almost as if I've never left home.  A few stores have opened and closed, but there are not any drastic differences.  My house is pretty much the same.  It's nice to turn on the radio to the wonderful Pittsburgh radio stations, walk my dog, and have a few days of not having to worry about preparing my own food.  Since my lifestyle in Europe was different and almost incompatible with my life in the US at the moment, I'm back to the same patterns as a year ago.  It's strange to have two selves, but maybe when I'm living independently again I'll mix the two.