I'm back in Tennessee. We just got our DSL hooked up yesterday. We still have several boxes to unpack. I'm going to build shelves for my books, so they'll stay in the boxes until that's done. That's going to take a while, too, since I haven't bought the supplies and have a long list of things to do beforehand. Aside from the books though, we just have a few boxes left.

I've had an extreme case of culture shock. It's only really extreme because I wasn't expecting any at all. I haven't really lived here since I graduated high school in 2000. A lot can change when you're gone over seven years. But the biggest differences are adjusting to being in the country after three years in the big city. For example, there are bugs everywhere. I was sweeping the floor yesterday and something in my dust pile was moving. It didn't even look like a bug. It was a tiny, teardrop-shaped worm thing with antennae. What was that? Oh, and our house had mice. We think we've caught them all (which makes them sound like Pokemon and, I assure you, these mice are not the kind of thing you want to carry around with you), but I was more than a little freaked out. I've never been afraid of mice before, but I was filled with this feeling that one was going to scurry out at any moment...like constantly anticipating someone jumping out and screaming "boo!" at you.

Okay, so bugs and mice aren't really examples of culture shock. They're more like examples of why pest control companies should be so successful here. As for my actual culture shock, I went to Wal-Mart within two days of getting to TN. There weren't any Wal-Marts in North Hollywood. That pretty much says it all.

Labels: tennessee.

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