A few things I want you to know before I come home...

I decided to make a top ten list of the things that I want you all to know about my experience and how that is going to affect my homecoming.

10. I can’t speak English anymore. I realize this and I know that after being immersed in the English language once again, my grammar will quickly recover, but while I am going through this stage, all that I ask is that you point out my grammar mistakes to me before you start laughing uproariously so I can join in the fun, too.

9. If you find me hanging out at gas stations, crowded intersections, or sniffing the tailpipes of cars, just remember that I am pollution-deprived in the U.S.

8. If I walk around holding on to the strap of my backpack that I am wearing in front of my body and slap anyone who touches it, just remember that if you are not watching your stuff and holding it in Buenos Aires, it is apt to disappear.

7. I have been gone for two months, but in some ways it seems much longer. Although getting to travel like this and experience another culture is a wonderful opportunity, please do not act like this was a vacation in paradise because, in reality, June was the hardest month of my life. I think I have grown closer to God and learned a lot about myself, but it hasn’t been a piece of cake.

6. Speaking of cake, if I have the desire to eat ice cream, pie, or cake everyday… wait a minute, that’s always a normal desire for me!

5. If I come up to you and say something in Spanish, please don’t get offended. I’m not trying to confuse you; it may just be that I can’t remember how to say what I want in English. Ask me nicely to “speak-y the Eenglish” and I will do my best.

4. If I am excited by the fact that I can understand everything that people are saying around me, gently remind me that this is not a normal occurrence and that I probably should keep this excitement to myself.

3. If I get dressed for the day and put on a sweater, long pants, coat, and scarf, laugh at me all you want, but PLEASE don’t let me step outside like that!

2. If I waste gallons of hot water, remember that I have only had two hot showers in the last two months! Or, if I go around kissing people, remember that I am used to greeting everyone (except the Americans) with a kiss on the cheek. You know how we have shaking-hands-time at church? Well, here it is kissing-on-the-cheek time so don't be surprised if I forget!

1. I have lots of stories and pictures, so if you would like me to share them with you, just ask because I would love show-and-tell! Only be sure to specify if you want the 2-minute, 10-minute, 1-hour, or 3-day version! (Sometimes I get carried away, as some of you know.)

I am looking forward to seeing you all again!