It is a curious feeling to return to the U.S. after an extended period abroad. I clearly remember coming back to the States after spending six months working in Tokyo and experiencing culture shock for one of the few times in my life. Richard Burton said that his home country was “the only country where I never feel at home.” Although I miss my friends and family, as well as many of the conveniences of America, I always find myself struggling to regain familiarity with my homeland. Fortunately, I had only a limited amount of time to reflect on the less attractive aspects of American popular culture since I spent the first couple of weeks visiting family.
Immediately after arriving (and raiding my parent’s fully stocked refrigerator until two in the morning), my Dad and I drove to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a reunion with my Dad’s side of the family to celebrate my grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary. The large house we rented for the week was packed with 23 family members and offered a nice location close to the beach, with plenty of activities such as biking, golf, and swimming readily available. A game room in the basement allowed me to pummel my brother in ping pong while I helped to improve my young cousins’ confidence by losing game after game of billiards to children ranging in ages from 6 to 13. I was also able to reunite with Brian for the first time since his return to the U.S. He is enjoying life at UConn and spent the past few months living in a girls dorm on campus. He continues to look for a suitable job and anyone looking for a talented, hardworker can contact Brian at masukeeper@bellsouth.net.
After only three and a half days in South Carolina, our family drove directly to lovely Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio to visit my Mom’s side of the family in order to celebrate my cousin Claire’s high school graduation. After several days of wonderful food in South Carolina, the delicious and plentiful cooking continued in Ohio where I was treated to more great meals. Although I suffered several bouts of the shakes from going over a week without Ramen, I think the healthy cuisine eliminated the risk of developing the first case of scurvy in the past two hundred years. While in Ohio, I was fortunate enough to enjoy several nice bike rides and I was pleasantly surprised to find the bucolic Cuyahoga valley without even a single river on fire. During an excursion to Cleveland, my Mom and I were treated to a fascinating exhibit at the Great Lakes Science Center that featured real cadavers that used “plastination” to pose the bodies in a way that provided views of various anatomical systems, as well as showing how diseases appear in the body.
Following an enjoyable week in Ohio, my Mom and I drove home to Atlanta, where I faced the unattractive task of finding a summer job while the boat sits out hurricane season in Trinidad. Fortunately, Arch Chemicals, which coincidentally also employs my father, was seeking a summer intern to assist with compiling a 3-year strategic plan. In yet another convenient coincidence, my background in finance at GE provided a solid base in corporate strategic planning, so it appears that for once the stars have aligned in my favor.
So, it looks like the next couple of months will be spent living with my parents in the suburbs of the deep South. Easing the sting of being a 27-year-old living with my parents is the fact that my cousin Eric will be spending the summer living with us during his vacation from The Ohio State University. Eric is working at a microbrewery in midtown Atlanta and has already made it amply clear that I can no longer keep pace socially with a college student. Undaunted, I am looking forward to a summer of exploration, adventure, and discovery in Atlanta.