I'm Back Baby
I arrived in Houston yesterday around 11am. My trip was significantly less hassle filled than the time I brought my cat, Mr. Pink, back with me. However it still had its little quirks. For instance, I had my corkscrew wine opener confiscated passing through security in El Salvador. I could tell the El Salvadoran guys saw something unusual in my bags as it went through the x-ray machine. They all gathered around the monitor and were making jokes. I can only imagine what they thought it was.
On the flight I was seated next to an extremely old woman who was clearly very Salvadoran. She was even wearing the typical aprons that I rarely saw women over 25 not wearing. I had to help her put her seat belt on and put her tray table down etc. The people sitting across the aisle from me also decided that they needed to take two giant boxes of Pollo Campero fried chicken. It's Central America's answer to KFC, only nastier and more processed. So I got to enjoy the sickening smell of deep fried chicken on the entire flight.
The most interesting thing that happened was that at one point the stewardess got on the PA system and asked if anyone had any Benadryll. They asked a second time and then started asking if there was a doctor on-board. Everyone was looking around to see what was going on, but I happened to be at the first row of coach so I could see into first class. The person having the allergic reaction was our pilot.
This would have made me nervous but I knew there's always two pilots. Plus I could see that his reaction wasn't very bad. He was just red and his eyes were a little puffy. You'd think he'd know if he were allergic to the airplane food. I mean how big can that menu be. I was also surprised that they didn't have Benadryll in a medical kit somewhere.
I've actually felt more of a culture shock this time even though I was in the states only 6 months ago as compared with a year last time. I never knew I could walk around a quickie mart or a grocery store so engrossed in looking at the products. The packaging on certain things are different, there are new flavors of things. By the way, what is up with all the beers having a new "chelada" mix. I've seen it for Budweiser, Bud Light, and Miller so far. I think the Bud ones have some kind of tomato cocktail mixed in. Sounds gimmicky to me, but I always like to put lime or lemon in just about any kind of beer when it's around. It makes them all better, not just Corona.
I took my first hot shower in a long time yesterday and I thought I would just sit in there and soak it up but I found myself washing quickly and getting out. I think it's just a habit from trying to get in and out of so many cold showers. I was feeling the cleanest I'd felt in a long time, with no small thanks to having some Dr. Bronner's soap. If you don't know what it is, its magic soap. Get some, try it, and I guarantee you'll be a fan for life. Anyway, upon getting out of the shower I grabbed the towel my mom gave me and dried my face only to have it covered it animal hair, most likely dog hair. That put an abrupt end to my super clean feeling to say the least.
I spent all day packing and digging through all my boxes of crap in the garage here. I managed to either throw away, pack, or set aside for a garage sale just about all of my stuff. Everything I wanted to take also seemed to miraculously fit in my newly tuned Honda Civic. I had my doubts since I'll be taking both cats and my Mom got me an enormous carrier so I could take a litter box inside the car. Smelly.
So tomorrow I leave following my Mom and Gary to Mississippi and then on to Orange Beach, Florida for the Weill family gathering. I'm going to leave the cats at my lovingly generous Aunt Kathy's basement room for a couple days. Then I'll pick them up on the way to Jackson and then on to Baltimore.
I have one last sort of etymological (<- big fancy word) observation to make. It came to me while my friend Alejandro was driving me to the airport the other day. I never really studied grammar very hard in my English classes I had a pretty good sense of whether or not something sounded right or not. I just knew what proper English sounded like, from hearing people speak properly and from reading.
I realized that I've slowly developed an ear of sorts for Spanish. I don't always know the best way to say something but I can just feel when it's wrong and when it's right. A lot of times I don't even know why it should be said that way but it just sounds right. Of course I'm only guessing that it was right, because no one El Salvadoran ever correct my Spanish even though I asked them to, but my ear seemed to have developed mainly from listening to them speak.
I guess that's really just how people learn a language. They develop an ear for it by hearing it so much. I'm sure it's far easier for babies, but it's good to know that I can still develop it at my age.