Slowly but surely, I'm becoming American once more

I have a small confession to make...

I've been back in the US for over 2 weeks. I came back as planned on May 10, thankfully dodging any interference from the volcanic ash that I was so worried about.

No longer can I use the lack of internet as an excuse to not update my blog. I am constantly connected to the internet - even more so than before due to my new Blackberry.

So my updates will become more regular and I will bring this blog up to date on all my traveling that transpired over the last 6 months or so.

Until then, I'm planning on making a half-hearted effort to find a summer job and readjusting to life in my native country.

I've already been made painfully aware of the fact that I am no longer in Italy by many different events. I miss the blunt approach the Italians have to life - when I spoke to my friends here, they initially found me to be brutally honest. Needless to say both parties had some adjusting to do.
I can't look at the "Italian food" served in the US, let alone eat it. No pizza for the next few months until I can forget what authentic pizza tastes like. And don't get me started on how dismayed I am that I can't buy alcohol for myself yet. How am I supposed to get my wine?!

But for all the cultural differences, I love my home country. And I can't complain that I no longer have to worry about communication errors when going to the doctors or ordering at restaurants. Plus, seeing my friends and family again continues to be a treat each day.

Now that I'm back I can clearly see huge changes in who I am and what I want out of life - all for the better, I think. But more on that later. And more pictures and stories of my travels.

Busy Busy Busy!

The night I finished my last final (Thursday), I came back home to San Diego.

Ever since then, I have had a non-stop agenda. I don't have to start my summer job until next week (at the earliest)so the past few days have been filled with family events - my brother's high school graduation, my other brother's birthday party - and catching up with all my friends from high school who have returned home for the summer.

Here's the thing about going away for months on end and then returning home and trying to pick up right where you left off: people change. Obviously, strong friendships endure the passing of time and the personal developments that accompany it. But even those strong friendships need to adjust to the shock of change.

While I can see that my friends are growing and changing for the better (as am I), it is sometimes a shock to the system that our old relationship needs to be modified a bit before we can be fully comfortable with one another again.

People never cease to intrigue me.